
- 



Class 

Book JJ 



presented hy 



THE 



PARADISE LOST 



JOHN MILTON. 



WITH NOTES 



EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL. 



EDITED BY 

REV. JAMES ROBERT BOYD, 

AUTHOR OF "ELEMENTS Or RHETORIC," AND "ECLECTIC MORAL PHILOSOPHY.' 



Milton, whose genius had angelic wings 
And fed on manna. — Cowper. 



NEW YORK : 
BAKER AND SCRIBNER. 

1851. 



?K2> 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year IS50, by 

BAKER AND SCRIBNER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 

District of New York. 






C. W. BENEDICT, 

Stereotype r, 

•201 William st., N. Y. 



REASONS 

FOR PREPARING THIS AMERICAN EDITION. 

Paradise Lost is, by common consent, pronounced to be a work of 
transcendent genius and taste. It takes rank with the Iliad of Homer, 
and with the JEneld of Virgil, as an Epic of incomparable merit. Dry- 
den was by no means extravagant in the praise which he bestowed 
upon it in his well-known lines : 

" Three poets in three distant ages born, 
Greece, Italy, and England did adorn : 
The first in loftiness of thought surpassed ; 
The next in majesty ; in both the last. 
The force of nature could no further go : 
To make a third, she joined the other two." 

Its praise is often on the lips of every man endowed with the most 
moderate literary qualifications : but the work has been read by com- 
paratively few persons. How few even of educated men can affirm 
that they have so read and understood it, as to appreciate all its parts ? 
How does this happen ? Is the poem considered unworthy of their 
most careful perusal 1 ? Is it not inviting to the intellect, the imagina- 
tion, and the sensibilities? Is it not acknowledged to be superior to 
any other poetic composition, the Hebrew writings only excepted, to 
whose lofty strains of inspired song the blind bard of London was s 
greatly indebted for his own subordinate inspiration ? 

If inquiry should extensively be made, it will be ascertained that 
Paradise Lost, is but little read, less understood, and still less appre- 
ciated; though it may be found on the shelves of almost every library, 
or upon the parlor table of almost every dwelling. Every school boy, 



4 REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. 

and every school girl has read some beautiful extracts from it, and has 
heard it extolled as an unrivalled production; and this is about all that 
is usually learned in regard to it, or appreciated. The question returns, 
and it is one of some literary interest, how is this treatment of the 
Paradise Lost to be accounted for ? To this inquiry the following ob- 
servations will, it is hoped, be considered appropriate and satisfactory. 

It is pre-eminently a learned work ; and has been well denominated 
" a book of universal knowledge." In its naked form, in its bare text, 
it can be understood and appreciated by none but highly educated per- 
sons. The perusal of it cannot fail to be attended with a vivid im- 
pression of its great author's prodigious learning, and of the immense 
stores which he brought into use in its preparation. As one of his 
editors, (Sir Egerton Brydges,) remarks, " his great poems require 
such a stretch of mind in the reader, as to be almost painful. The 
most amazing copiousness of learning is sublimated into all his concep- 
tions and descriptions. His learning never oppressed his imagination ; 
and his imagination never obliterated or dimmed his learning; but 
even these would not have done without the addition of a great heart, 
and a pure and lofty mind. The poem is one which could not have 
been produced solely by the genius of Milton, without the addition of 
an equal extent and depth of learning, and an equal labor of reflection. 
It has always a great compression. Perhaps its perpetual allusion to 
all past literature and history were sometimes carried a little too far 
for the popular reader; and the latinised style requires to be read with 
the attention due to an ancient classic." To read it, therefore, intelli- 
gently and advantageously, no small acquaintance is needed with 
classical and various learning. 

While large portions of the poem are sufficiently lucid for the com- 
prehension of ordinary readers, there is frequently introduced an ob- 
scure paragraph, sentence, clause, or word ; which serves to break up 
the continuity of the poem in the reader's mind, to obstruct his pro- 
gress, to apprise him of his own ignorance or obtuseness, and thus to 
create no small degree of dissatisfaction. The obscurity arises, in 
some cases, from the highly learned character of the allusions to an- 
cient history and mythology; in other cases, from great inversion of 



REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. ' 

etyle, from the use of Latin and Greek forms of expression; from re- 
culiar modes of spelling; from references to exploded and unphiloso- 
phical notions in astronomy, chemistry, geology, and philosophy, with 
which but few persons are familiar. 

Besides all this, it has been truly observed by the writer before 
quoted, that " Milton has a language of his own ; I may say invented 
by himself. It is somewhat hard but it is all sincere : it is not ver- 
nacular, but has a latinised cast, which requires a little time to recon- 
cile a reader to it. It is best fitted to convey his own magnificent 
ideas ; its very learnedness impresses us with respect. It moves with 
a gigantic step : it does not flow like Shakspeare's style, nor dance 
like Spenser's. Now and then there are transpositions somewhat 
alien to the character of the English language, which is not well cal- 
culated for transposition ; but in Milton this is perhaps a merit, be- 
cause his lines are pregnant with deep thought and sublime imagery 
which requires us to dwell upon them, and contemplate them over and 
over. He ought never to be read rapidly." 

Such being some of the characteristics of Paradise Lost, it is nol 
difficult to account for its general neglect, and for the scanty satisfac- 
tion experienced by most persons in the attempt to read it. Much of 
it, aswe have remarked, cannot be understood; it abounds in too 
many passages that convey to none but the learned any cleai idea: 
thus the common reader is repelled, and the sublimities and beauties 
of this incomparable poem are known only as echoes from the pages 
of criticism, of course inadequately. 

Not long since even a well-educated and popular preacher was 
asked how he managed in reading Paradise Lost ? His honest and 
truthful answer was, that he skipped over the hard places, and read the 
easier; that he did not pretend fully to understand, or to appreciate 
the entire poem ; but admitted that not -a few passages were not far 
from being a dead letter to him, requiring for their just interpretation 
more research and study than he was willing or able to bestow. The 
fact undoubtedly is, that since a poem is addressed chiefly to the im- 
agination and the sensibilities ; since it is read with a view to plea- 
surable excitement, and not taken up as a production to be severelj 



6 REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. 

studied ; since a demand for mental labor and research interferes with 
the entertainment anticipated, in most cases the Paradise Lost is, on 
this account, laid aside, though possessing the highest literary merit, 
for poems of an inferior cast, but of easier interpretation. 

It is possible also that the pious spirit which animates the entire 
poem, and the theological descriptions which abound in several of the 
Books, may, to the mass of readers, give it a repulsive aspect, and 
cause them, though unwisely, to prefer other productions in which 
these elements are not found. 

To the causes now enumerated, rather than to those assigned by Dr. 
Johnson may be referred the result which he thus describes: — " Para- 
dise Lost is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, 
and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is. 
Its perusal is a duty rather than a pleasure. We read Milton for in- 
struction, retire harrassed and overburdened, and look elsewhere for 
recreation : we desert our master, and seek for companions." 

But is there no remedy for this neglectful treatment of the fi nest poeti- 
cal composition in our language ? May not something be done to pre- 
pare American readers generally to appreciate it, and, in the perusal, 
to gratify their intellects and regale their fancy, among its grandeurs 
and beauties, and also among its learned allusions, and scientific infor- 
mations 1 

The attainment of this important end is the design of the present 
edition: it is therefore furnished with a large body of notes; with 
notes sufficiently numerous and full, it is presumed, to clear up the ob- 
scurities to which we have referred ; to place the unlearned reader, so 
far as the possession of the information requisite to understand the 
poem is concerned, on the same level with the learned ; and to direct 
attention to the parts most deserving of admiration, and to the grounds 
upon which they should be admired. The editions hitherto published 
in this country, it is believed, are either destitute of notes, or the notes 
are altogether too few and too brief to afford the aid which is generally 
required. 

About half a cen'ury after the publication of the Paradise Lost, 
its reputation was much advanced by a series of papers which came 



REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. 7 

out weekly in the celebrated Spectator, from the graceful pen of 
Addison. "These," as Hallam justly remarks, "were perhaps 
superior to any criticisms that had been written in our language, and 
we must always acknowledge their good sense, their judiciousness, 
and the vast service they did to our literature, in setting the Paradise 
Lost on its proper level." But modern periodicals, and modern 
essays are fast crowding out the once familiar volumes of that excel- 
lent British classic ; and those once famous criticisms are now seldom 
met with, so that modern readers, with rare exceptions, derive from 
them no benefit in the reading of the Paradise Lost. 

The Editor has evinced his own high sense of their value, and has, 
moreover, rendered them far more available to the illustration of the 
poem, than they are, as found in the Spectator, by selecting such criti- 
cisms as appeared to him to possess the highest merit, and distributing 
them in the form of notes, to the several parts of the poem which they 
serve to illustrate and adorn. After this labor had been performed, 
however, and a principal part of the other notes had been prepared, it 
was ascertained with some surprise, on procuring a London copy of 
Bp. Newton's edition of Milton, now quite scarce,, that the same course 
had a century ago been pursued by him ; though the same pains had 
not been taken by Newton to distribute in detail to every part of the 
poem the criticisms of Addison. Besides this, he introduced them 
entire, and thus occupied his pages with much matter quite inferior to 
that which has been provided, in this edition, from recent sources. 

The notes of the present edition will be found to embrace, besides 
much other matter, all that is excellent and worth preservation in 
those of Newton, Todd, Brydges, and Stebbing; comprehending also 
some of the richest treasures of learned and ingenious criticism which 
the Paradise Lost has called into existence, and which have hitherto 
been scattered through the pages of many volumes of Reviews and 
miscellaneous literature : and these have been so arranged as to illus- 
trate the several parts of the poem to which they retate. 

It was not deemed important to occupy space in the discussion of 
certain questions, more curious than useful or generally interesting, 
relating to some earlier authors, to whom it has been alleged that Mil- 



8 REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. 

ton was greatly indebted for the plan and some prominent features of 
the Paradise Lost. Yet it has been a pleasant, and more profitable 
task, to discover by personal research, and by aid of the research of 
others, those parts of classical authors a familiar acquaintance with 
which has enabled the learned poet so wonderfully to enrich and adorn 
his beautiful production. These classic gems of thought and expres- 
sion have been introduced in the notes, only for the gratification of 
those persons who are able to appreciate the language of the Roman 
and Grecian poets; and who may have a taste for observing the coin- 
cidences between their language and that of the great master of Eng- 
lish verse. 

Not long before the composition of Paradise Lost, Milton thus 
speaks of the qualifications which he regarded as requisite and which 
he hoped to employ in preparing it: "A work not to be raised from 
the heat of youth or the vapors of wine ; nor to be obtained of dame 
Memory and her siren daughters, but by'devout prayer to that Eternal 
Spirit, who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and sends out 
his Seraphim with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify 
the lips of whom he pleases. To this must be added industrious and 
select reading, steady observation, insight into all seemly and generous 
arts and affairs." 

•This, T am convinced,' says Sir E. B. already quoted, ' is the true 
origin of Paradise Lost. Shakspeare's originality might be still more 
impugned, if an anticipation of hints and similar stories were to be 
taken as proof of plagiarism. In many of the dramatist's most beauti- 
ful plays the whole tale is borrowed ; but Shakspeare and Milton 
turn brass into gold. This sort of passage hunting has been carried a 
great deal too far, and has disgusted and repelled the reader of feeling 
and taste. The novelty is in the raciness, the life, the force, the ju>t 
association, the probability, the truth ; that which is striking because 
it is extravagant is a false novelty. He who borrows to make patches 
is a plagiarist; but what patch is there in Milton? All is inter- 
woven and forms part of one web. No doubt the holy bard was al- 
ways intent upon sacred poetry, and drew his principal inspirations 
from Scripture. This distinguishes his style and spirit from all other 



REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. b» 

poets ; and gives him a solemnity which has not been surpassed, save 
in the book whence welled that inspiration.' 

The Editor is fully aware of the boldness of the attempt to furnish 
a full commentary on such a poem as this : he is also painfully sensi- 
ble that much higher qualifications than he possesses could profitably 
and honorably be laid out in the undertaking. He has long wondered, 
and regretted, that such an edition of Paradise Lost, as the American 
public needs, has not been furnished ; and in the absence of a better, 
he offers this edition, as adapted, in his humble opinion, to render a 
most desirable and profitable service to the reading community, while 
it may contribute, as he hopes, to bring this poem from the state of 
unmerited neglect into which it has fallen, and cause it to be more 
generally read and studied, for the cultivation of a literary taste and 
for the expansion of the intellectual and moral powers. 

Ours is an age in which the best writings of the seventeenth century 
have been generally republished, and thus have been put upon a new 
career of fame and usefulness. Shakspeare has had, for more than 
half a century, his learned annotators, without whose aid large por- 
tions of his plays would be nearly unintelligible.. He has been hon- 
ored with public lectures also, to illustrate his genius, and to bring 
to view his masterly sketches of the human heart and manners. 
There have recently started up public readers also, by whose popular 
exertions he has been brought into more general admiration. It seems 
to be full time that a higher appreciation of the great epic of Milton 
than has hitherto prevailed among us, and that a more extended use- 
fulness also, should be secured to it, by the publication of critical and 
explanatory notes, such as the circumstances of the reading class ob- 
viously require. 

Ever valuable will it be, for its varied learning, for its exquisite 
beauties of poetic diction and measure ; for its classical, scientific and 
scriptural allusions; for its graphic delineations of the domestic state 
and its duties; for its adaptation, when duly explained and understood, 
to enlarge the intellect, to entertain the imagination, to improve lite- 
rary taste, and cultivate the social and the devout affections ; for its 
grand account of creation, providence, and redemption, embracing a 



10 REASONS FOR PREPARING THIS EDITION. 

most beautiful narrative and explanation of some of the most interest 
ing events connected with the history of our race. Nor should men- 
tion be omitted, of those excellent counsels, and maxims of conduct 
which it so frequently suggests, conveyed in language too appropriate 
and beautiful to be easily erased from the memory, or carelessly disre- 
garded. 

In conclusion, we may confidently adopt the words of Brydges, who 
has said, that to study Milton's poetry is not merely the delight of every 
accomplished mind, but it is a duty. He who is not conversant with it, 
cannot conceive how far the genius of the Muse can go. The bard, 
whatever might have been his inborn genius, could never have at- 
tained this height of argument and execution but by a life of laborious 
and holy preparation ; a constant conversance with the ideas sug- 
gested by the sacred writings; the habitual resolve to lift his mind 
and heart above earthly thoughts ; the incessant exercise of all the 
strongest faculties of the intellect; retirement, temperance, courage, 
hope, faith. He had all the aids of learning; all the fruit of all the 
wisdom of ages ; all the effect of all that poetic genius, and all that 
philosophy had achieved. His poetry is pure majesty; the sober 
strength, the wisdom from above, that instructs and awes. It speaks 
as an oracle ; not with a mortal voice. And indeed, it will not he too 
much to say, that of all uninspired writings, Milton's are the most 
worthy of profound study by all minds which would know the crea- 
tiveness, the splendor, the learning, the eloquence, the wisdom, to 
which the human intellect can attain. 

Note. The names of the authors most frequently quoted will be indi- 
cated simply by the initial letters : those authors are Addison. Newton, E. 
Brydges, Todd, Hume, Kitto, Richardson, Thyer, Stebbing and Pearce. The 
Introductory Remarks upon the several Books are, generally, those found in 
Sir Egerton Brydges' edition, with the omission of such remarks as were 
deemed either incorrect, or of little interest and importance. 



BOOK I. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

This First Book proposes, first, in brief, the whole subject, Man's disobe- 
dience, and the loss thereupon of Paradise, wherein he was placed : then 
touches the prime cause of his fall, the Serpent, or rather Satan in the ser- 
pent ; who revolting from God, and drawing to his side many legions of 
Angels, was, by the command of God, driven out of Heaven, with all his 
crew, into the great deep. Which action passed over, the poem hastens into 
the midst of things, presenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell, 
described here, not in the centre (for Heaven and Earth may be supposed as 
yet not made, certainly not yet accursed) but in a place of utter darkness, 
fitliest called Chaos : here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning lake, 
thunderstruck and astonished, after a certain space recovers, as from confu- 
sion, calls up him who next in order and dignity lay by him ; they confer of 
their miserable fall. Satan awakens all his legions, who lay till then in the 
same manner confounded : they rise ; their numbers, array of battle, their 
chief leaders named, according to the idols known afterward in Canaan and 
the countries adjoining. To these Satan directs his speech, comforts them 
with hope yet of regaining Heaven, but tells them lastly of a new world 
and new kind of creature to be created, according to an ancient prophecy 
or report in Heaven ; for that Angels were long before this visible creation, 
was the opinion of many ancient Fathers. To find out the truth of this 
prophecy, and what to determine thereon, he refers to a full council. What 
his associates thence attempt. Pandemonium, the palace of Satan, rises, sud- 
denly built out of the deep : the infernal peers tnere sit in council. 



BOOK I. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

This Book on the whole is so perfect from beginning to end, that it would 
be difficult to find a single superfluous passage. The matter, the illustra- 
tions and the allusions, are historically, naturally, and philosophically true. 
The learning is of every extent and diversity ; recondite, classical, scientific, 
antiquarian. But the most surprising thing is, the manner in which he vivi- 
fies every topic he touches : he gives life and picturesqueness to the driest 
catalogue of buried names, personal or geographical. They who bring no 
learning, yet feel themselves charmed by sounds and epithets which give a 
vague pleasure, and stir up the imagination into an indistinct emotion. 

Poetical imagination is the power, not only of conceiving, but of creating 
embodied illustrations of abstract truths, which are sublime, or pathetic, or 
beautiful ; but those ideas, which Milton has embodied, no imagination but 
his own would have dared to attempt ; none else would have risen ' to the 
height of this great argument/ Every one else would have fallen short oi 
it, and degraded it. 

Among the miraculous acquirements of Milton, was his deep and familial 
intimacy with all classical and all chivalrous literature ; the amalgamation in 
his mind of all the philosophy and all the sublime and ornamental literature of 
the ancients, and all the abstruse, the laborious, the immature learning of 
those who again drew off the mantle of time from the ancient treasures of 
genius, and mingled with them their own crude conceptions and fantastic 
theories. He extracted from this mine all that would aid the imagination 
without shocking the reason. He never rejected philosophy: but where it 
was fabulous, only offered it as ornament. 

In Milton's language though there is internal force and splendor, there is 
outward plainness. Common readers think that it sounds and looks like 
prose. This is one of its attractions ; while all that is stilted, and decorated, 
and affected, soon fatigues and satiates. 

Johnson says that " an inconvenience of Milton's design is, that it requires 
the description of what cannot be described. — the agency of spirits. He saw 



BOOK I. 13 

that immateriality supplied no images, and that he could not show angels 
acting but by instruments of action : he therefore invested them with form 
and matter. This, being necessary, was therefore defensible, and he should 
have secured the consistency of his system by keeping immateriality out of 
sight, and enticing his reader to drop it from his thoughts." Surely this was 
quite impossible, for the reason which Johnson himself has given. The im- 
agination, by its natural tendencies, always embodies spirit. Poetry deals 
in pictures, though not exclusively in pictures. E. B. 

Upon the interesting topic here thus summarily though satisfactorily dis- 
posed of, Macaulay has furnished the following, among other admirable 
remarks : 

The most fatal error which a poet can possibly commit in the manage- 
ment of his machinery, is that of attempting to philosophise too much. 
Milton has been often censured for ascribing to spirits many functions of 
which spirits must be incapable. But these objections, though sanctioned by 
eminent names, originate, we venture to say, in profound ignorance of the art 
of poetry. 

What is spirit ? What are our own minds, the portion of spirit with 
which we are best acquainted ? We observe certain phenomena. We can- 
not explain them into material causes. We therefore infer that there exists 
something which is not material, but of this something we have no idea. 
We can define it only by negatives. We can reason about it only by sym- 
bols. We use the word but we have no image of the thing ; and the busi- 
ness of poetry is with images, and not with words. The poet uses words 
indeed, but they are merely the instruments of his art, n&t its objects. They 
are the materials which he is to dispose in such a manner as to present a 
picture to the mental eye. And, if they are not so disposed, they are no 
more entitled to be called poetry than a bale of canvas and a box of colors 
are to be called a painting. 

Logicians may reason about abstractions, but the great mass of mankind 
can never feel an interest in them. They must have images. The strong 
tendency of the multitude in all ages and nations to idolatry can be explained 
on no other principles. The first inhabitants of Greece, there is every rea- 
son to believe, worshipped one invisible Deity ; but the necessity of having 
something more definite to adore produced, in a few centuries, the innumera- 
ble crowd of gods and goddesses. In like manner the ancient Persians 
thought it impious to exhibit the Creator under a human form. Yet even 
they transferred to the sun the worship which, speculatively, they consid- 
ered due only to the supreme mind. The history of the Jews is the record 
of a continual struggle between pure Theism, supported by the most terrible 
sanctions, and the strangely fascinating desire of having some visible and 
tangible object of adoration. Perhaps none of the secondary causes which 
Gibbon has assigned for the rapidity with which Christianity spread over 
the world, while Judaism scarcely ever acquired a proselyte, operated more 
powerfully than this feeling. God, the uncreated, the incomprehensible, the 



14 PARADISE LOST. 

invisible, attracted but few worshippers. A philosopher might admire so 
noble a conception ; but the crowd turned away in disgust from words which 
presented no image to their minds. It was before Deity embodied in a hu- 
man form, walking among men, partaking of their infirmities, leaning on 
their bosoms, weeping over their graves, slumbering in the manger, bleeding 
on the cross, that the prejudices of the synagogue, and the doubts of the 
Academy, and the pride of the Portico, and the forces of the lictor, and the 
swords of thirty legions, were humbled in the dust. 

Soon after Christianity had achieved its triumph, the principle which had 
assisted it began to corrupt it. It became a new Paganism. Patron saints 
assumed the offices of household gods. St. George took the place of Mars. 
St. Elmo consoled the mariner for the loss of Castor and Pollux. The vir- 
gin Mary and Cecilia succeed to Venus and the Muses. The fascination of 
sex and loveliness was again joined to that of celestial dignity ; and the 
homage of chivalry was blended with that of religion. Reformers have 
often made a stand against these feelings ; but never with more than appa- 
rent and partial success. The men who demolished the images in cathedrals 
have not always been able to demolish those which were enshrined in their 
minds. It would not be difficult to show that in politics the same rule holds 
good. Doctrines, we are afraid, must generally be embodied before they 
can excite strong public feeling. The multitude is more easily interested for 
the most unmeaning badge, or the most insignificant name, than for the most 
important principle. 

From these considerations, we infer that no poet who should affect that 
metaphysical accuracy for the want of which Milton has been blamed, 
would escape a disgraceful failure, still, however, there was another extreme, 
which, though one less dangerous, was also to be avoided. The imagina- 
tions of men are in a great measure under the control of their opinions. The 
most exquisite art of a poetical coloring can produce no illusion when it is 
employed to represent that which is at once perceived to be incongruous and 
absurd. Milton wrote in an age of philosophers and theologians. It was 
necessary therefore for him to abstain from giving such a shock to their un- 
derstandings, as might break the charm which it was his object to throw 
over their imaginations. This is the real explanation of the indistinctness 
and inconsistency with which he has often been reproached. Dr. Johnson 
acknowledges that it was absolutely necessary for him to clothe his spirils 
with material forms. " But, 1 ' says he, " he should have secured the consis- 
tency of his system, by keeping immateriality out of sight, and seducing the 
reader to drop it from his thoughts." This is easily said : but what if he 
could not seduce the reader to drop it from his thoughts ? What if the con- 
trary opinion had taken so full a possession of the minds of men, as to leave 
no room even for the quasi-belief which poetry requires ? Such we suspect 
to have been the case. It was impossible for the poet to adopt altogether 
the material or the immaterial system. He therefore took his stand on the 
debateable ground. He left the whole in ambiguity. He has doubtless, by 



BOOK I. 15 

so doing, laid himself open to the charge of inconsistency. But, though phi- 
losophically in the wrong, we cannot but believe that he was poetically in 
the right. This task, which almost any other writer would have found im- 
practicable, was easy to him. The peculiar art which he possessed of com- 
municating his meaning circuitously, through a long succession of associated 
ideas, and of intimating more than he expressed, enabled him to disguise 
those incongruities which he could not avoid. 

The spirits of Milton are unlike those of almost all other writers. His 
fiends, in particular, are wonderful creations. They are not metaphysical 
abstractions. They are not wicked men. They are not ugly beasts. They 
have no horns, no tails. They have just enough in common with human 
nature to be intelligible to human beings. Their characters are, like their 
forms, marked by a certain dim resemblance to those of men, but exagger- 
ated to gigantic dimensions and veiled in mysterious gloom. 



PARADISE LOST. 



Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit 

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste 

Brought death into the world, and all our woe, 

With loss of Eden, till one greater man 

Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, 5 

Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top 

1. As in the commencement of the Iliad, of the Odyssey, and of the 
^Eneid, so here the subject of the poem is the first announcement that is 
made, and precedes the verb with which it stands connected, thus giving it 
due prominence. Besides the plainness and simplicity of the exordium, there 
is (as Newton has observed) a further beauty in the variety of the numbers, 
which of themselves charm every reader without any sublimity of thought 
or pomp of expression ; and this variety of the numbers consists chiefly in 
the pause being so artfully varied that it falls upon a different syllable in 
almost every line. Thus, in the successive lines it occurs after the words 
disobedience, tree, world, Eden, us, Muse. In Milton's verse the pause is con- 
tinually varied according to the sense through all the ten syllables of which 
it is composed ; and to this peculiarity is to be ascribed the surpassing har- 
mony of his numbers. * 

4. Eden : Here the whole is put for a part. It was the loss of Paradise 
only, the garden, the most beautiful part of Eden ; for after the expulsion of 
our first parents from Paradise we read of their pursuing their solitary way 
in Eden, which was an extensive region. 

5. Regain, §c. : Compare XII. 463, whence it appears that in the opinion 
of Milton, after the general conflagration, the whole earth would be formed 
into another, and more beautiful, Paradise than the one that was lost. 

6. Muse: One of those nine imaginary heathen divinities, that were 



BOOK I. 17 

Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire 

That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed 

In the beginning, how the heav'ns and earth 

Rose out of Chaos. Or if Sion hill 10 

Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flow'd 

Fast by the oracle of God ; I thence 

Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song, 

That with no middle flight intends to soar 

Above the Aonian Mount, while it pursues 15 

Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. 

And chiefly Thou, Spirit, that dost prefer 

thought to preside over certain arts and sciences, is here, in conformity to 
classical custom, addressed. Secret top : set apart, interdicted. The Israel- 
ites, during the delivery of the law, were not allowed to ascend that moun- 
tain. 

7. Horeb and Sinai were the names of two contiguous eminences of the 
same chain of mountains. Compare Exod. iii. 1, with Acts vii. 30. 

8. Shepherd: Moses. Exod. iii. 1. 

12. Oracle : God's temple ; so called from the divine communications 
which were there granted to men. 

15. The Ionian Mount; or Mount Helicon, the fabled residence of the 
Muses, in Bceotia, the earlier name of which was Aonia. Virgil's Eclog. vi. 
65. Georg. iii. 11. 

16. Things unattempted: There were but few circumstances upon which 
Milton could raise his poem, and in everything which he added out of his 
own invention he was obliged, from the nature of the subject, to proceed 
with the greatest caution ; yet he has filled his story with a surprising num- 
ber of incidents, which bear so close an analogy with what is delivered in 
holy writ that it is capable of pleasing the most delicate reader without 
giving offence to the most scrupulous. — A. 

17. Chiefly Thou, O Spirit : Invoking the Muse is commonly a matter of 
mere form, wherein the (modern) poets neither mean, nor desire to be 
thought to mean, anything seriously. But the Holy Spirit, here invoked, is 
too solemn a name to be used insignificantly : and besides, our author, in the 
beginning of his next work, ' Paradise Regained,' scruples not to say to the 

same Divine Person — 

,: Inspire 
As Thou art wont, my prompted song, else mute." 

This address therefore is no mere formality. — Heylin. 

It is thought by Bp. Newton that the poet is liable to the charge of enthu- 
siasm ; having expected from the Divine Spirit a kind and degree of inspira- 
tion similar to that which the writers of the sacred scriptures enjoyed. The 
2 



18 PARADISE LOST. 

Before all temples the upright heart and pure, 

Instruct me, for Thou know'st ; Thou from the first 

Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread 20 

Dovelike sat'st brooding on the vast abyss, 

And madest it pregnant : What in me is dark, 

Illumine ; what is low, raise and support ; 

That to the height of this great argument 

I may assert eternal Providence, 25 

And justify the ways of God to Men. 

Say rirst, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view, 
Nor the deep tract of Hell ; say first what cause 
Moved our grand parents, in that happy state, 
Favor'd of Heav'n so highly, to fall off 30 

widow of Milton was accustomed to affirm that he considered- himself as in- 
spired ; and this report is confirmed by a passage in his Second Book on 
Church Government, already quoted in our preliminary observations. 

24. The hrie;ht of the argument is precisely what distinguishes this poem_ 
of Milton from all others. In other works of imagination the difficulty lies 
in giving sufficient elevation to the subject ; here it lies in raising the imagi- 
nation up to the grandeur of the subject, in adequate conception of its mighti- 
ness, and in finding language of such majesty as will not degrade it. A 
genius less gigantic and less holy than Milton's would have shrunk from the 
attempt. Milton not only does not lower ; but he illumines the bright, and 
enlarges the great : he expands his wings, and " sails with supreme domin- 
ion" up to the heavens, parts the clouds, and communes with angels and un- 
embodied spirits. — E. B. 

27. The poets attribute a kind of omniscience to the Muse, as it enables 
them to speak of things which could not otherwise be supposed to come to 
their knowledge. Thus Homer, Iliad ii. 485, and Virgil, JEn. vii. 645. 
Milton's Muse, being the Holy Spirit, must of course be omniscient. — N. 
30. Greatness, is an important requisite in the action or subject of an 
epic poem ; and Milton here surpasses both Homer and Virgil. The anger 
of Achilles embroiled the kings of Greece, destroyed the heroes of Troy, and 
engaged all the gods in factions. iEneas' settlement in Italy produced the 
Caesars and gave birth to the Roman empire. Milton's subject does not de- 
termine the fate merely of single persons, or of a nation, but of an entire 
species. The united powers of Hell are joined together for the destruction 
of mankind, which they effected in part and would have completed, had not 
Omnipotence itself interposed. The principal actors are man in his greatest 
perfection, and woman in her highest beauty. Their enemies are the fallen 
angels; the Mess- iah their friend, and the Almighty their Protector. In 



BOOK I. 19 

From their Creator, and trangress his will 
For one restraint, lords of the world besides ? 
Who first seduced them to that foul revolt ? 
/Th' infernal Serpent : he it was whose guile, 
Stirr'd up with envy and revenge, deceived 35 

The mother of mankind, what time his pride 
Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his host 
Of rebel Angels ; by whose aid aspiring 
To set himself in glory 'bove his peers, 

He trusted to have equall'd the Most High, 40 

If he opposed ; and with ambitious aim 
Against the throne and monarchy of God, 
Raised impious war in Heav'n, and battle proud 
With vain attempt. < Him the Almighty Power 
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky, 45 

With hideous ruin and combustion, down 
To bottomless perdition ; there to dwell 
In adamantine chains and penal fire, 

short, everything that is great in the whole circle of being, whether within 
the range of nature or beyond it, finds a place in this admirable poem. — A. 

t; The sublimest of all subjects (says Cowper) was reserved for Milton ; 
and, bringing to the contemplation of that subject, not only a genius equal to the 
best of the ancients, but a heart also deeply impregnated with the divine 
truths which lay before him, it is no wonder that he has produced a compo- 
sition, on the whole, superior, to any that we have received from former ages. 
But he who addresses himself to the perusal of this work with a mind en- 
tirely unaccustomed to serious and spiritual contemplation, unacquainted 
with the word of God, or prejudiced against it, is ill qualified to appreciate 
the value of a poem built upon it, or to taste its beauties. 

32. One restraint : one subject of restraint — the tree of knowledge of 
good and evil. 

34. Serpent. Compare Gen. iii. 1 Tim. ii. 14. John viii. 44. 

38. Jlspiring: 1 Tim. iii. 6. 

39. In glory : a divine glory, such as God himself possessed. This 
charge is brought against him, V. 725 ; it is also asserted in line 40 ; again iu 
VI. 88, VII. 140. 

46. Ruin is derived from ruo, and includes the idea of falling with vio- 
lence and precipitation : combustion is more than flaming in the foregoing 
line ; it is burning in a dreadful manner. — N. 

48. Chains. Compare with Epistle of Jude v. 8. Also, ^Eschylus 
Prometh. 6. 



20 PARADISE LOST. 

Who durst defy th' Omnipotent to arms. 

Nine times the space that measures day and night $0 

To mortal men, he with his horrid crew 

Lay vanquish 'd, rolling in the fiery gulf, 

Confounded though immortal : But his doom 

Reserved him to more wrath ; for now the thought 

Both of lost happiness and lasting pain 55 

Torments him ; round he throws his baleful eyes, 

That witness'd huge affliction and dismay, 

Mix'd with obdurate pride and steadfast hate : 

At once, as far as angels' ken, he views 

The dismal situation waste and wild : 60 

A dungeon horrible on all sides round, 

As one great furnace flamed ; yet from those flames 

No light ; but rather darkness visible 

Served only to discover sights of woe, 

Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace 65 

And rest can never dwell : hope never comes, 

That comes to all : but torture without end 

Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed 

With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed : 

Such place eternal justice had prepared 70 

50. Nine times the space, fyc. Propriety sometimes requires the use o/ 
circumlocution, as in this case. To have said nine days and nights would not 
have been proper when talking of a period before the creation of the sun, 
and consequently before time was portioned out to any being in that man- 
ner. — Campbell, Phil. Rhet. 

52 — 3. The nine days' astonishment, in which the angels lay entranced 
after their dreadful overthrow and fall from heaven, before they could recover 
the use either of thought or speech, is a noble circumstance and very finely 
imagined. The division of hell into seas of fire, and into firm ground 
(227-8) impregnated with the same furious element, with that particular 
circumstance of the exclusion of hope from those infernal regions, are in- 
stances of the same great and fruitful invention. — A. 

63. JJarkness visible : gloom. Absolute darkness is, strictly speaking, in- 
visible ; but where there is a gloom only, there is so much light remaining 
as serves to show that there are objects, and yet those objects cannot be dis- 
tinctly seen. Compare with the Penseroso, 79, 80 : 

' Where glowing emhers through the room 
Teach light to counterfeit a gloom.'" B 



BOOK I. 21 

For those rebellious ; here their pris'n ordained 

In utter darkness, and their portion set 

As far removed from God and light of heaven, 

As from the centre thrice to th' utmost pole. 

how unlike the place from whence they fell ! 75 

There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelmed 

With floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire, 

He soon discerns, and welt'ring by his side 

One next himself in power, and next in crime, 

Long after known in Palestine, and named 80 

Beelzebub. To whom th' Arch-Enemy, 

And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words 

72. Utter, has the same meaning as the word outer, which is applied to 
darkness in the Scriptures. Spenser uses utter in this sense. 

74. Thrice as far as it is from the centre of the earth (which is the centre 
of the world, (universe.) according to Milton's system, IX. 103, and X. 671,) 
to the pole of the world ; for it is the pole of the universe, far beyond the 
pole of the earth, which is here called the utmost pole. It is observable that 
Homer makes the seat of hell as far beneath the deepest pit of earth as the 
heaven is above the earth, Iliad viii. 16 ; Virgil makes it twice as far, 
jEneid vi. 577 ; and Milton thrice as far: as if these three great poets had 
stretched their utmost genius, and vied with each other, in extending his 
idea of Hell farthest. — N. 

75. The language of the inspired writings (says Dugald Stewart) is on 
this as on other occasions, beautifully accommodated to the irresistible im- 
pressions of nature ; availing itself of such popular and familiar words as up- 
wards and downwards, above and below, in condescension to the frailty of the 
human mind, governed so much by sense and imagination, and so little by 
the abstractions of philosophy. Hence the expression of fallen angels, 
which, by recalling to us the eminence from which they fell, communicates, 
in a single word, a character of sublimity to the bottomless abyss. — Works, 
vol. iv. 2S8. 

77. Fire. Compare with Mark ix. 45, 46. 

81. Beelzebub. Compare with Mat. xii. 24. 2 Kings i. 2. The word 
means god of flies. Here he is made second to Satan. 

82. Satan. Many other names are assigned, to this arch enemy of God and 
man, in the sacred scriptures. He is called the Devil, the Dragon, the Evil One, 
the Angel of the Bjttomless Pit, the Prince of this World, the Prince of the 
power of the air, the God of this World, Apollyon, Abaddon, Belial, Beel- 
zebub. 

Milton, it will be seen, applies some of these terms to other evil angels. 



22 PARADISE LOST. 

Breaking the horrid silence thus hegan : 

If thou heest he ; but how fallen ! how changed 
From him who, in the happy realms of light 85 

Cloth'd with transcendent brightness didst outshine 
Myriads though bright ! If he whom mutual league, 
United thoughts and counsels, equal hope 
And hazard in the glorious enterprise, 

Join'd with me once, now misery hath join'd 90 

In equal ruin : into what pit thou seest 
From what height fall'n, so much the stronger proved 
He with his thunder : and till then who knew 
The force of those dire arms ? yet not for those 
Nor what the potent victor in his rage 95 

The term Satan denotes adversary : the term Devil denotes an accuser, 
See Kitto's Bib. Cycl. 

Upon the character of Satan as described by Milton, Hazlitt has penned an 
admirable criticism, which will be found at the end of Book I. 

84. The confusion of mind felt by Satan is happily shown by the abrupt 
and halting manner in which he commences this speech. Fallen ; see Isaiah 
xiv. 12. Changed : see Virg. JEn. ii. 274 : 

" Hei mihi qualis erat ! Quantum mutatus ab illo !'' 

93. He with his thunder. There is an uncommon beauty in this expres- 
sion. Satan disdains to utter the name of God, though he cannot but ac- 
knowledge his superiority. So again, line 257. — N. 

94. Those: compare yEsch. Prometh. 991. 

95 — 116. Amidst those impieties which this enraged spirit utters in vari- 
ous parts of the poem, the author has taken care to introduce none that is 
not big with absurdity, and incapable of shocking a religious reader ; his 
words, as the poet himself describes them, bearing only a " semblance of 
worth, not substance." He is likewise with great art described as owning 
his adversary to be Almighty. Whatever perverse interpretation he puts 
on the justice, mercy, and other attributes of the Supreme Being, he fre- 
quently confesses his omnipotence, that being the perfection he was forced 
to allow, and the only consideration which could support his pride under the 
shame of his defeat. — A. 

Upon this important point Dr. Channing has made the following observa- 
tions : " Some have doubted whether the moral effect of such delineations 
(as Milton has given) of the stormy and terrible workings of the soul is 
good ; whether the interest felt in a spirit so transcendently evil as Satan 
favors our sympathies with virtue. But our interest fastens, in this and like 
cases, on what is not evil. We gaze on Satan with an awe not unmixed 



BOOK I. 23 

Can else inflict, do I repent or change, 
/ Though changed in outward lustre, that fix'd mind 
And high disdain from sense of injured merit, 
That with the Mightiest raised me to contend, 
And to the fierce contention brought along 100 

Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd, 
That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring, 
His utmost pow'r with adverse pow'r opposed 
In dubious battle on the plains of Heav'n, 
And shook his throne. What though the field be lost ? 105 
All is not lost ; th' unconquerable will 
And study of revenge, immortal hate, 
And courage never to submit or yield : 
And what is else not to be overcome ; 

That glory never shall his wrath or might 1 10 

Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace 
"With suppliant knee, and deify his pow'r, 
Who from the terror of this arm so late 
Doubted his empire ; that were low indeed ! 
That were an ignominy and shame beneath . 115 

This downfall : since by fate the strength of G-ods 
And this empyreal substance cannot fail, 

with mysterious pleasure, as on a miraculous manifestation of the power ofm:nd. 
What chains us, as with a resistless spell, in such a character, is spiritual 
might (might of soul) , made visible by the racking pains which it over- 
powers. There is something kindling and ennobling in the consciousness, 
however awakened, of the energy which resides in mind ; and many a vir- 
tuous man has borrowed new strength from the force, constancy, and daunt- 
less courage of evil agents." 

109. Overcome : in some editions an interrogation point is placed after 
this word, but improperly ; for, as Pearce remarks, the line means, ' and if 
there be anything else (besides the particulars mentioned) which is not to be 
overcome.' 110. That glory: referring to the possession of an unconquera- 
ble will, and the other particulars mentioned 107-9. 114. Doubted his empire : 
that is, doubted the stability of it. 

116. Fate. Satan supposes the angels to subsist by necessity, and repre- 
sents them of an empyreal, that is, fiery substance, as the Scripture does, Ps. 
civ. 4. Heb. i. 7. Satan disdains to submit, since the angels (as he says) are 
necessarily immortal and cannot be destroyed, and since too they are now 
improved in experience. 



24 PARADISE LOST. 

Since through experience of this great event 

In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, 

We may with more successful hope resolve ' 120 

To wage by force or guile eternal war, 

Irreconcileable to our grand foe, 

Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy 

Sole reigning holds the tyranny of heav'n. 

So spake th' apostate Angel, though in pain, 125 

Vaunting aloud, hut rack'd with deep despair : 
And him thus answer'd soon his bold compeer. 

Prince, Chief of many throned powers ! 
That led the embattled Seraphim to war 

Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds 130 

Fearless, endanger'd heav'n's perpetual King, 
And put to proof his high supremacy, 
Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate ; 
Too well I see and rue the dire event, 

That with sad overthrow and foul defeat 135 

Hath lost us heav'n, and all this mighty host 
In horrible destruction laid thus low, 
As far as Gods and heav'nly essences 
Can perish ; for the mind and spirit remains 
Invincible, and vigor soon returns, 140 

Though all our glory extinct, and happy state 
Here swallow'd up in endless misery 
But what if he our conqu'ror (whom I now 
Of force believe almighty, since no less 
Than such could have overpower'd such force as ours) 
Have left us this our spirit and strength entire 146 

Strongly to suffer and support our pains, 
That we may so suffice his vengeful ire, 
Or do him mightier service as his thralls 

By right of war, whate'er his business be 150 

Here in the heart of Hell to work in fire, 
Or do his errands in the gloomy deep ; 
What can it then avail, though yet we feel 

129. Seraphim. Compare with Isaiah vi. 2 — 6. An order of angels near 
the throne of God. 



BOOK I. 25 

Strength undiminish'd, or eternal being 

To undergo eternal punishment? 155 

Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-Fiend replied : 

Fall'n Cherub, to be weak is miserable 
Doing or suffering : but of this be sure, 
To do aught good never will be our task, 

But ever to do ill our sole delight, 160 

As being the contrary to his high will 
Whom we resist. If then his providence 
Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, 
Our labor must be to pervert that end, 

And out of good still to find means of evil ; 165 

Which oft-times may succeed, so as perhaps 
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb 
His inmost counsels from their destined aim. 
But see, the angry victor hath recall'd 

His ministers of vengeance and pursuit 170 

Back to the gates of Heav'n ; the sulph'rous hail 
Shot after us in storm, o'erblown hath laid 
The fiery surge, that from the precipice 
Of Heav'n received us falling ; and the thunder, 
Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage, 175 

Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceases now 
To bellow through the vast and boundless deep, 
Let us not slip th' occasion, whether scorn 

157. Cherub. One of an order of angels next in rank to a seraph. Com- 
pare with Gen. iii. 24. Ezek. ch. x. 

169. The account here given by Satan differs materially from that which 
Raphael gives, book vi. 880, but this is satisfactorily explained by referring 
to the circumstances of the two relators. Raphael's account may be con- 
sidered as the true one ; but, as Newton remarks, in the other passages Sa- 
tan himself is the speaker, or some of his angels ; and they were too prone', 
and obstinate to acknowledge the Messiah for their conqueror ; as their 
rebellion was raised on his account, they would never own his superiority : 
they would rather ascribe their defeat to the whole host of heaven than to 
him alone. In book vi. 830 the noise of his chariot is compared to the 
sound of a numerous host; and perhaps their fears led them to think that they 
were really pursued by a numerous army. And what a sublime idea does 
it give us of the terrors of the Messiah, that he alone should be a; formida- 
ble, as if the whole host of Heaven were in pursuit of them. 



26 PARADISE LOST. 

Or satiate fury yield it from our foe. 

Seest thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild, ISO 

The seat of desolation, void of light, 

Save what the glimm'ring of these livid flames 

Casts pale and dreadful ? Thither let us tend 

From off the tossing of these fiery waves, 

There rest, if any rest can harbor there, 185 

And reassembling our afflicted powers, 

Consult how we may henceforth most offend 

Our enemy, our own loss how repair, 

How overcome this dire calamity, 

What reinforcement we may gain from hope, 190 

If not, what resolution from despair. 

Thus Satan talking to his nearest mate 
With head uplift above the wave, and eyes 
That sparkling blazed, his other parts besides 
Prone on the flood, extended long and large, 195 

Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge 
As whom the fables name of monstrous size ; 
Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove, 

192. The incidents, in the passage that follows, to which Addison calls at- 
tention, are, Satan's being the first that wakens out of the general trance, his 
posture on the burning lake, his rising from it, and the description of his 
shield and spear ; also his call to the fallen angels that lay plunged and stupi- 
fied in the sea of fire. (314 — 5.) 

193. Prone on the flood, somewhat like those two monstrous serpents de- 
scribed by Virgil ii. 206 : 

Pectora quorum inter fluctus arrecta, jubaeque 
Sanguinea; exsuperant undas ; pars cretera pontum 
Pone legit. 

196. Rood, Sfc. : a rood is the fourth part of an acre, so that the bulk of 
Satan is expressed by the same sort of measure, as that of one of the giants 
hi Virgil, JEn. vi. 596 : 

Per tota novem cuijugera corpus 
Porrigitur. 
And also that of the old dragon in Spenser's Fairy Queen, book i. 
' That with his largeness measured much land." 

N. 
i98. Titanian, or Earth-born : 

Genus antiquum terra?, Titania pubes 

Ma. vi. 580 



COOK I. 2? 

Briareos, or Typhon, whom the den 

By ancient Tarsus held, or that sea-beast 2"0 

Leviathan, which God of all his works 

Created hugest that swim the ocean stream ; 

Him haply slumbering on the Norway foam 

The pilot of some small night-founder'd skiff 

Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell, 203 

With fixed anchor in his scaly rind 

Moors by his side under the lea, while night 

Invests the sea, and wished morn delays : 

Here Milton commences that train of learned allusions which was among 
his peculiarities, and which he always makes poetical by some picturesque 
epithet, or simile. — E. B. 

199. Briareos, a fabled giant (one of the Titans) possessed of a hundred 
hands. " Et centumgeminus Briareus." Virg. JEn. vi. 287. 

201. Leviathan, a marine animal finely described in the book of Job, ch. 
xli. It is supposed by some to be the whale ; by others, the crocodile, with 
less probability. See Brande's Cyc. 

202. Swim the ocean-stream : What a force of imagination is there in this 
last expression ! What an idea it conveys of the size of that largest of 
created beings, as if it shrunk up the ocean to a stream, and took up the sea 
in its nostrils as a very little thing ! Force of style is one of Milton's great 
excellencies. Hence, perhaps, he stimulates us more in the reading, and less 
afterwards. The way to defend Milton against all impugners is to take 
down the book and read it. — Hazlitt. 

This line is by some found fault with as inharmonious ; but good taste ap- 
proves its structure, as being on this account better suited to convey a just 
idea of the size of this monster. 

204. Night-foundered: overtaken by the night, and thus arrested in its 
course. The metaphor, as Hume observes, is taken from a foundered horse 
that can go no further. 

207. Under the lee : in a place defended from the wind. 

208. Invests the sea: an allusion to the figurative description of Night 
given by Spenser : 

" By this the drooping daylight 'gan to fate. 
And yield his room to sad succeeding night, 
"Who with her sable mantle 'gan to shade 
The face of Earth:' 

Milton also, in the same taste, speaking of the moon, IV. 609 : 
'And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.' 

IV 



28 PARAr. s-; lost. 

So stretch'd out huge in length the Arch-Fiend lay 

Chain'd on the burning lake, nor ever thence 210 

Had ris'n or heaved his head, but that the will 

And high permission of all-ruling Heav'n 

Left him at large to his own dark designs, 

That with reiterated crimes he might 

Heap on himself damnation, while he sought 215 

Evil to others, and enraged might see 

How all his malice served but to bring forth 

Infinite goodness, grace, and mercy shewn 

On Man, by him seduced ; but on himself 

Treble confusion, wrath, and vengeance pour'd. 220 

Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool 

His mighty stature ; on each hand the flames 

Priv'n backward slope their pointing spires, and roll'd 

In billows, leave i' th' midst a horrid vale. 

Then with expanded wings he steers his flight 225 

Aloft, incumbent on the dusky air, 

209. There are many examples in Milton of musical expression, or of an 
adaptation of the sound and movement of the verse to the meaning of the 
passage. This line is an instance. By its great length, and peculiar struc- 
ture, being composed of monosyllables, it is admirably adapted to convey the 
idea of immense size. 

210. Chained on the burning lake: There seems to be an allusion hereto 
the legend of Prometheus, one of the Titans, who was exposed to the wrath 
of Jupiter on account of his having taught mortals the arts, and especially 
the use of fire, which he was said to have stolen from heaven, concealed in a 
reed. According to another story he was actually the creator of men, or at 
least inspired them with thought and sense. 

His punishment was to be chained to a rock on Caucasus, where a vulture 
perpetually gnawed his liver ; from which he was finally rescued by Her- 
cules. This legend has formed the subject of the grandest of all the poetical 
illustrations of Greek supernatural belief, the Prometheus Bound of iEschy- 
lus. Many have recognized in the indomitable resolution of this suffering 
Titan, and his stern endurance of the evils inflicted on him by a power with 
which he had vainly warred for supremacy, the prototype of the arch-fiend 
of Milton. — Brande. 

22G — 7. That felt unusual iveight: This conceit (as Thyer remarks) is 
borrowed from Spenser, who thus describes the old dragon, book i. 
■•Then with bis waving wings displayed wide 
Fimself 'ip high he lifted from the ground, 



BOOK I. 



29 



That -felt unusual weight ; till on dry land 

He lights, as if it were land that ever hurn'd 

With solid, as the lake with liquid fire ; 

And such appear'd in hue, as when the force 230 

Of subterranean wind transports a hill 

Torn from Pelorus, or the shatter'd side 

Of thund'ring iEtna, whose combustible 

And fuel'd entrails thence conceiving fire, 

And with strong flight did forcibly divide 
The yielding air, which nigh too/eehte found 
Her flitting parts, and element unsound, 

To bear so great a weight." 

229. Liquid fire. Virg. Ec. vi. 33. " Et liquidi simul ignis. — X. 

230. There are several noble similies and allusions in the first hook of 
Paradise Lost. And here it must he observed that when Milton alludes 
either to things or persons he never quits his simile until it rises to some 
very great idea, which is often foreign to the occasion that gave birth to it. 
The simile does not perhaps occupy above a line or two, but the poet runs 
on with the hint until he has raised out of it some brilliant image or senti- 
ment adapted to inflame the mind of the reader and to give it that sublime 
kind of entertainment which is suitable to the nature of an heroic poem. 

In short, if we look into the poems of Homer, Virgil, and Milton, we must 
observe, that as the great fable is the soul of each poem, so, to give their 
works the greater variety, the episodes employed by these authors may be 
regarded as so many short fables, their similies as so many short episodes, 
and their metaphors as so many short similies. If the comparisons in the 
first book of Milton, of the sun in an eclipse, of the sleeping leviathan, of the 
bees swarming about their hive, of the fairy dance, be regarded in this light 
the great beauties existing in each of these passages will readily be dis- 
covered. — A. 

23 1 . Wind : this should be altered to winds, to agree with the reading in 
line 235 ; or that should be altered to agree with this. 

232. Pelorus : the eastern promontory of Sicily. 

234. Thence conceiving fire : the combustible and fuelled entrails, or interior 
contents, of the mountain, are here represented as taking fire, as the result of 
the action of the subterranean wind, in removing the side of the mountain. 
The fire thus kindled was sublimed ivith mineral fury, that is, was heightened 
by the rapid combustion of mineral substances of a bituminous nature. The 
poet seems to have in his mind the description of iEtna by Virgil (book iii 

572, 578.) 

Sed horrificis juxta tonat TEtna ruinis, 
Interdumque atram prorumpit ad Eethera nubem, 
Turbine fumantem piceo, et candente favilla ; 
Attollitque globus flammarum. et sidera lambit : 



30 



PARADISE LOST. 



Sublimed with min'ral fury, aid the winds, 235 

And leave a singed bottom all involved 

With stench and smoke ; such resting found the sole 

Of unblest feet. Him follow'd his next mate, 

Both glorying to have 'scap'd the Stygian flood 

As Gods, and by their own recover 'd strength, 240 

Not by the sufFrance of Supernal Power. 

Is this the region, this the soil, the clime, 
Said then the lost Arch-Angel, this the seat 
That we must change for heav'n, this mournful gloom 
For that celestial light ? Be it so, since he 245 

Who now is Sovran can dispose and bid 
What shall be right : farthest from him is best, 
Whom reason hath equall'd, force hath made supreme 
Above his equals. Farewell happy fields, 

Where joy forever dwells : Hail horrors, hail 250 

Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell 
Receive thy new possessor ; one who brings 
A mind not to be changed by place or time. 
The mind is its own place, and in itself 
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n. 255 

Interdum scopulos avulsaque viscera montis 
Erigit eructans. liquefactaque saxa sub auras 
Cum gemitu glomerat, fundnque exaestuat imo. 

239. Stygian flood ; an expression here of the same import with infernal 
flood, alluding to the fabulous river Styx of the lower world, which the poets 
represented as a broad, dull and sluggish stream. 

246. Sovran : from the Italian word sovrano. 

250. Dr. Channing, writing upon Satan's character as drawn bv the ro t 
observes : " Hell yields to the spirit which it imprisons. The intensity of 
its fires reveals the intense passion and more vehement will of Satan; and 
the ruined archangel gathers into himself the sublimity of the scene which 
surrounds him. This forms the tremendous interest of these wonderful 
books. We see mind triumphant over the most terrible powers of nature 
We see unutterable agony subdued by energy of soul." 

Addison remarks that Milton has attributed to Satan those sentiments 
which are every way answerable to his character, and suited to a created 
being of the most exalted and most depraved nature ; as in this passage, 
which describes him as taking possession of his place of torments, 250 — 2G3. 

253 — 5. These are some of the extravagances of the Stoics, and could not 



BOOK I. 31 

What matter where, if I be still the same, 

And what I should be, all but less than he 

Whom thunder hath made greater ? Here at least 

We shall be free ; th' Almighty hath not built 

Here for his envy, will not drive us hence : 200 

Here we may reign secure, and in my choice 

To reign is worth ambition, though in hell *, 

Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. 

But wherefore let we then our faithful friends, 

Th' associates and copartners of our loss, 265 

Lie thus astonish'd on th' oblivious pool, 

And call them not to share with us their part 

In this unhappy mansion, or once more 

With rallied arms to try what may be yet 

Regain'd in Heav'n, or what more lost in Hell ? 270 

So Satan spake ; and him Beelzebub 
Thus answer'd : Leader of those armies bright, 
Which but th' Omnipotent none could have foil'd, 
If once they hear that voice, their liveliest pledge 
Of hope in fears and dangers, heard so oft 275 

In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge 
Of battle when it raged, in all assaults 
Their surest signal, they will soon resume 
New courage and revive, though now they lie 
Grrov'ling and prostrate on yon lake of fire, 280 

be better ridiculed than they are here by being put into the mouth of Satan 
in his present situation. — Thyer. 
Shakspeare, in Hamlet, says : 

There is nothing either good or bad, but 

Thinking makes it so. 

254. This sentiment is the great foundation on which the Stoics build, 
their whole system of ethics. — S. 

263. This sentiment is an improvement of that which is put by yEschy- 
lus into the mouth of Prometheus, 965 ; and it was a memorable saying of 
Julius Cassar that he would rather be the first man in a village, than the 
second in Rome. Compare Virg. Georg. i. 36. — N. 

The lust of power and the hatred of moral excellence are Satan's promi- 
nent characteristics. 

276. Edge of battle: from the Latin word acies, which signifies both the 
edge of a weapon and also an army in battle array. See book VI. 108 V. 



32 PARADISE LOST. 

As we ere while, astounded and amazed, 
No wonder, fall'n such a pernicious height. 

He scarce had ceased when the superior Fiend 
Was moving tow'rd the shore ; his pond'rous shield 
Ethereal temper, massy, large, and round, 285 

Behind him cast ; the broad circumference 
Hung on his shoulders like the moon, whose orb 
Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views 
At evening from the top of Fesole, 

Or in Valdarno, to descry new lands, 290 

Rivers, or mountains, on her spotty globe. 
His spear, to equal which the tallest pine 
Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast 
Of some great ammiral, were but a wand, 

He walk'd with to support uneasy steps 295 

Over the burning marie ; not like those steps 
On Heaven's azure, and the torrid clime 
Smote on him sore besides, vaulted with fire : 
Nathless he so endured, till on the beach 

Of that inflamed sea he stood, and call'd 300 

His legions, Angel forms, who lay entranced 

287. Homer and Ossian describe in a like splendid manner the shields of 
their heroes. 

288. Galileo : He was the first who applied the telescope to celestial ob- 
servations, and was the discoverer of the satellites of Jupiter in 1610, which, 
in honor of his patron, Cosmo Medici he called the Mediceun stars. Frrvn 
the tower of St. Mark he showed the Venetian senators not only the satel- 
lites of Jupiter but the crescent of Venus, the triple appearance of Saturn, 
and the inequalities on the Moon's surface. At this conference he also en- 
deavored to convince them of the truth of the Copernican system. 

289 — 90. Fesole : a city of Tuscany. Valdarno, the valley of Arno, in the 
same district. The very sound of these names is charming. 

2,94. Ammiral: the obsolete form of admiral, the principal ship in a fleet. 

The idea contained in this passage, may, as Dr. Johnson suggests, be 
drawn from the following lines of Cowley ; but, who does not admire the 
vast improvements in form ? He says of Goliath, 

'■His spear, the trunk was of .1 lofty tree, 
Which nature meant some tall ship"s mast should be." 

Compare Horn. Odys. ix. 322. JEn. iii. 659. Tasso, canto vi. 40. 

299. Nathless : nevertheless. 



BOOK I. 33 

Thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks 

In Vallombrosa, where the Etrurian shades 

High over-arch 'd imbow'r ; or scatter 'd sedge 

Afloat, when with fierce winds Orion arm'd 305 

Hath vex'd the Red Sea coast, whose waves o'erthrew 

Busiris and his Memphian chivalry, 

While with perfidious hatred they pursued 

The sojourners of Goshen, who beheld 

From the safe shore their floating carcasses 310 

And broken chariot wheels : so thick bestrown, 

Abject and lost lay these, covering the flood, 

Under amazement of their hideous change. 

He call'd so loud, that all the hollow deep 



302, &c. : Here we see the impression of scenery made upon Milton's 
mind in his youth, when he was at Florence. This is a favorite passage 
with all readers of descriptive poetry. — E. B. 

302. Autumnal leaves. Compare Virgil's lines, JEn. vi. 309 : 

Quam multa in sylvis autumni frigore primo 
Lapaa cadunt folia. 
" That as the leaves in autumn strow the woods." 

Dryden. 
But Milton's comparison is the more exact by far ; it not only expresses a 
multitude but also the posture and situation of the angels. Their lying con- 
fusedly in heaps covering the lake is finely represented by this image of the 
leaves in the brooks. — N. 

303. Vallombrosa: a Tuscan valley: the name is composed of vallis and 
umbra, and thus denotes a shady valley. 

305. Orion arm'd : Orion is a constellation represented in the figure of an 
armed man, and supposed to be attended with stormy weather, assurgens 
fluctu nimbosus Orion, Virg. JEn. i. 539. The Red Sea abounds so much 
with sedge that in the Hebrew Scriptures it is called the Sedgy Sea. The 
wind usually drives the sedge in great quantities against the shore. — N. 

306. Busiris : Bentley objects to Milton giving this name to Pharaoh since 
history does not support him in it. But Milton uses the liberty of a poet in 
giving Pharaoh this name, because some had already attached it to him. 

Chivalry, denotes here those who use horses in fight, whether by riding 
on them, or riding in chariots drawn by them. See line 765. Also Para- 
dise Regained iii. 343, compared with line 328. 

308. Perfidious : he permitted them to leave the country, but afterwards 
pursued them. 

2 



34 PARADISE LOST. 

Of Hell resounded. Princes, Potentates, 315 

Warriors, the flow'r of heav'n, once yours, now lost, 

If such astonishment as this can seize 

Eternal spirits ; or have ye chos'n this place 

After the toil of battle to repose 

Your wearied virtue, for the ease you find 320 

To slumber here, as in the vales of Heaven ? 

Or in this abject posture have ye sworn 

T' adore the conqueror ? who now beholds 

Cherub and Seraph rolling in the flood 

With scatter'd arms and ensigns, till anon 325 

His swift pursuers from heav'n gates discern 

Th' advantage, and descending tread us down 

Thus drooping, or with linked thunderbolts 

Transfix us to the bottom of this gulf. 

Awake, arise, or be for ever fall'n. 330 

They heard, and were abash'd, and up they sprung 
Upon the wing, as when men wont to watch 
On duty, sleeping found by whom they dread, 
Rouse and bestir themselves ere well awake. 
Nor did they not perceive the evil plight 335 

In which they were, or the fierce pains not feel ; 
Yet to their gen'ral's voice they soon obey'd 
Innumerable. As when the potent rod 
Of Amram's son, in Egypt's evil day, 

Waved round the coast, up call'd a pitchy cloud 340 

Of locusts, warping on the eastern wind, 
That o'er the realm of impious Pharaoh hung 
Like night, and darken 'd all the land of Nile : 
So numberless were those bad Angels seen 

315. This magnificent call of Satan to his prostrate host could have been 
written by nobody but Milton. — E. B. 
325. Anon: Soon. 
329. An allusion seems here to be made to the jEneid, book i. 44-5. 

Ilium, exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas, 
Tui bine corripuit. scopuloque iufixit acuto. 

338. Amram's son : Moses. See Exod. x. 

341. Warping: Moving like waves ; or, working themselves forward. — H. 



BOOK I. 35 

Hov'ring on wing under the cope of Hell 345 

'Twixt upper, nether, and surrounding fires ; 

Till, as a signal giv'n, th' uplifted spear 

Of their great Sultan waving to direct 

Their course, in even balance down they light 

On the firm bi imstone, and fill all the plain ; 350 

A multitude, like which the populous north 

Pour'd never from her frozen loins, to pass 

Rhene or the Danaw, when her barb'rous sons 

Came like a deluge on the south, and spread 

Beneath Gibraltar to the Lybian sands. 355 

Forthwith from ev'ry squadron and each band 

The heads and leaders thither haste where stood 

Their great commander ; Godlike shapes and forms 

Excelling human, princely dignities, 

And Pow'rs that erst in Heaven sat on thrones ; 360 

Though of their names in beav'nly records now 

Be no memorial, blotted out and rased 

By their rebellion from the books of life. 

Nor had they yet among the sons of Eve 

Got them new names, till wand'ring o'er the earth, 365 

345. Cope : Roof. 

352. Frozen loins : In Scripture children are said to come out of the loins, 
Gen. xxxv. 11. The term frozen is here used only on account of the cold- 
ness of the climate. Rhcne and Danaw, the one from the Latin, the other 
from the German, are chosen because uncommon. Barbarous : The Goths, 
Huns, and Vandals, wherever their conquests extended, destroyed the monu- 
ments of ancient learning and taste. Beneath Gibraltar : That is, southward 
of it, the northern portion of the globe being regarded as uppermost. — N. 

The three comparisons relate to the three different states in which these 
fallen angels are represented. When abject and lying supine on the lake, 
they are fitly compared to vast heaps of leaves which in autumn the poet 
himself had observed to bestrew the water-courses and bottoms of Vallom- 
brosa. When roused by their great leader's objurgatory summons, they are 
compared, in number, with the countless locusts of Egypt. The object of 
the third comparison is to illustrate their number when assembled as sol- 
diers on the firm brimstone, and here they are compared with the most nu- 
merous body of troops which history had made mention of. — Dunster. 

360. Erst: Formerly. 

364-375. The subject of Paradise Lost is the origin of evil — an event, in 



36 PARADISE LOST. 

Thro' God's high suff'rance for the trial of man, 

By falsities and lies the greatest part 

Of mankind they corrupted, to forsake 

God their Creator, and th' invisible 

Glory of him that made them to transform 370 

Oft to the image of a brute, adorn'd 

With gay religions full of pomp and gold, 

And Devils to adore for Deities :' 

Then were they known to men by various names, 

And various idols through the Heathen world, 375 

Say, Muse, their names then known, who first, who last 

Roused from the slumber, on that fiery couch, 

At their great emp'ror's call, as next in worth 

Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, 

While the promiscuous crowd stood yet aloof. 380 

The chief were those who from the pit of Hell 

Roaming to seek their prey on earth, durst fix 

Their seats long after next the seat of God, 

Their altars by his altar, Gods adored 

Among the nations round, and durst abide 3S5 

its nature connected with everything important in the circumstances of hu- 
man existence ; and, amid these circumstances, Milton saw that the Fables of 
Paganism were too important and poetical to be omitted. As a Christian 
he was entitled wholly to neglect them, but as a poet he chose to treat them 
not as the dreams of the human mind, but as the delusions of infernal exist- 
ences. Thus anticipating a beautiful propriety for all classical allusions ; 
thus connecting and reconciling the co-existence of fable and of truth ; and 
thus identifying the fallen angels with the deities of " gay religions full of 
pomp and gold," he yoked the heathen mythology in triumph to his subject, 
and clothed himself in the spoils of superstition. — Edinb. Encyc. 

This subject is again presented in the last note on Book I. 

369. Rom. i. 18-25. 372. Religions : That is, religious rites. 

375. Idols : Heathen idols are here described as the representatives of these 
demons. Addison remarks that the catalogue of evil spirits has abundance 
of learning in it and a very agreeable turn of poetry, which rises in a great 
measure, from its describing the places where they were worshipped, by 
those beautiful marks of rivers so frequent among the ancient poets. The 
author had doubtless in this place Homers catalogue of ships, and Virgil's 
list of warriors in his view. 

"7F>. When they apostatised, they acquired new and dishonorable names. 



BOOK I. 37 

Jehovah thund'ring out of Sion, throned 

Between the Cherubim ; yea, often placed 

Within his sanctuary itself their shrines, 

Abominations ; and with cursed things 

His holy rites and solemn feasts profaned, 390 

And with their darkness durst affront his light. 

First Moloch, horrid king, besmear'd with blood 

Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears, 

Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud 

Their children's cries unheard, that pass'd thro' fire 395 

To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite 

Worshipp'd in Rabba and ner wat'ry plain, 

In Argob and in Basan, to the stream 

Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with such 

Audacious neighborhood, the wisest heart 400 

Of Solomon he led by fraud to build 

His temple right against the temple of God, 

On that opprobrious hill ; and made his grove 

The pleasant vale of Hinnom, Tophet thence 

387. Cherubim : The golden figures placed over the ark in the Hebrew sanc- 
tuary, Exod. xxv. See also 2 Kings xix. 15 — " O Lord God of Israel, which 
dwellest between the Cherubim." 

392. Moloch: The national God of the Ammonites; properly denomi- 
nated horrid, since to him children were offered in sacrifice. Consult 2 
Kings xxiii. 10-13. The characters ascribed to Moloch and Belial prepare 
us for their respective speeches and behaviour in the second and sixth books. 

397-8. Rabba, or Rabbah, was the principal city of the Ammonites, 
twenty miles northeast of Jericho, and on the east side of the Jordan. Ar- 
gob is not far distant. JBashan is a large district of country lying east of the 
Sea of Tiberias, celebrated for its cattle, and its oaks. At the time of the 
conquest of Canaan by the Hebrews, the Ammonites occupied the country 
east of Jordan, from the river Arnon, which empties into the Dead Sea to 
the river Jabbok. The vale of Hinnom was near Jerusalem. 

403. Solomon built a temple to Moloch on the Mount of Olives (1 Kings 
xi. 7) : it is hence called that opprobrious (or infamous) hill. 

404. Tophet: In the Hebrew, drum,- this and other noisy instruments 
being used to drown the cries of the miserable children who were offered to 
this idol ; and Gehenna, or the valley of Hinnom, is in several places of the 
New Testament, and by our Saviour himself, made the name and type of 
hell.— N. 



3S PARADISE LOST. 

And black Gehenna call'd, the type of Hell. 405 

Next Chemos, the obscene dread of Moab's sons, 

From Aroar to Nebo, and the wild 

Of southmost Abarim ; in Hesebon 

And Horonaim, Seon's realm, beyond 

The flowery dale of Sibma clad with vines, 410 

And Eleale to th' Asphaltic pool. 

Peor his other name, when he enticed 

Israel in Sittim, on their march from Nile, 

To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe. 

Yet thence his lustful orgies he enlarged 415 

E'en to that hill of scandal, by the grove 

Of Moloch homicide ; lust hard by hate ; 

Till good Josiah drove them thence to Hell. 

406. Chemos : The god of the Moahites. Consult 1 Kings xi. 6, 7. 2 Kings 
xxiii. 13. It is supposed to be same as Baal-Peor, and as Priapus. Numb. 
xxv. 1-9. 

40S. Hesebon (Heshbon) : Twenty-one miles east of the mouth of the 
Jordan. Its situation is still marked by a few broken pillars, several large 
cisterns and wells, together with extensive ruins which overspread a high 
hill, commanding a wild and desolate scenery on every side. Abarim is a 
chain of mountains running north and south, east of the Dead Sea ; Pisgah is 
some eminence in this chain at the northern part, and Nebo is supposed to be 
the summit of Pisgah, nearly opposite Jericho. It was here that the great 
leader of the Israelites was favored with a view of the land of promise, and 
yielded up his life at the command of the Lord, b. c. 1451. Aroar (Aroer) 
was a place situated on the river Arnon, which formed the northern bound- 
ary of the kingdom of Moab. Seon (Sihon) was king of the Amorites. 
Sibma was half a mile from Heshbon ; Ele'SU, two and a half miles south of 
it. The Asphaltic pool is the Dead Sea. Sittim is written Shittim in the 
Bible. 

415. Orgies: Wild, frantic rites. The term is generally applied to the 
feasts of Bacchus, but is equally applicable to the obscene practices connected 
with the worship of Chemos, or Peor. 

417. Lust hard by hate : The figure contained in this verse conveys a 
strong moral truth. Had it not been, however, that the music of the verse 
would have been injured, the idea would have been more correct by the 
transposition of the words lust and hate. — S. 

Our author might perhaps have in view Spenser's Mask of Cupid, where 
Anger, Strife, &c, are represented as immediately following Cupid in the 
procession. — T. 



BOOK I. 39 

With these came they, who from the bord'ring flood 

Of old Euphrates to the brook that parts 420 

Eygpt from Syrian ground, had general names 

Of Baalim and Ashtaroth ; those male, 

These feminine ; for spirits, when they please, 

Can either sex assume, or both ; so soft 

And uncompounded is their essence pure 425 

Not tied nor manacled with joint or limb ; 

Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones, 

Like cumbrous flesh ; but, in what shape they choose 

Dilated or condensed, bright or obscure, 

Can execute their aery purposes, 430 

And works of love or enmity fulfil. 

For those the race of Israel oft forsook 

419. Bordering flood : The Euphrates formed the eastern border of the pro- 
mised land, Gen. xv. 18. It may be called old from the very early historic 
mention of it in Gen. ii. 14. See also Ps. lxxx. 11. 

420. Brook : Probably the brook Besor. 

422. Baalim and Jlstaroth : There were many of these deities (so called) in 
Syria and adjacent regions. The sun and the stars are supposed to be in- 
tended under these names. 

423. Milton probably derived these notions from a passage in a Greek 
author of antiquity, who, in a dialogue concerning Demons, tells a story oi 
one appearing in the form of a woman, and upon this it is asserted that they 
can assume either sex, take what shape and color they please, and contract 
and dilate themselves at pleasure. — N. 

423. Spirits : The nature of spirits is here set forth, and the explanation 
of the manner in which spirits transform themselves by contraction or en- 
largement is introduced with great judgment, to make wt.y for several sur- 
prising accidents in the sequel of the poem. There follows a passage neai 
the very end of the first book, which is what the French critics call marvel- 
lous, but at the same time is rendered probable when compared with this 
passage. As soon as the infernal palace is finished, we are told, the multi- 
tude and rabble of spirits shrunk themselves into a small compass, that there 
might be room for such a numberless assembly in this capacious hall. But 
it is the poet's refinement upon this thought which is most to be admired, 
and which indeed is very noble in itself. For he tells us, that notwithstand- 
ing the vulgar among the fallen spirits contracted their forms, those of the 
first rank and dignity still preserved their natural dimensions. Consult the 
last ten lines of the first book. — A. 

432. Those : Those demons. 433. Strength : Jehovah. 



40 PARADISE LOST. 

Their living Strength, and unfrequented left 

His righteous altar, bowing lowly down 

To bestial gods ; for which their heads as low 435 

Bow'd down in battle, sunk before the spear 

Of despicable foes. With these in troop 

Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd 

Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns • 

To whose bright image nightly by the moon 440 

Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs ; 

In Sion also not unsung, where stood 

Her temple on th' offensive mountain, built 

By that uxorious king, whose heart, though large, 

Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell 445 

To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind, 

Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured 

The Syrian damsels to lament his fate 

In amorous ditties all a summer's day ; 

While smooth Adonis from his native rock 450 

Ran purple to the sea, supposed with blood 

Of Thammuz yearly wounded : the love-tale 

Infected Sion's daughters with like heat ; 

Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch 

Ezekiel saw, when by the vision led, 455 

His eye survey 'd the dark idolatries 

438. Jerem. vii. 18; xliv. 17, ]8. 1 Kings xi. 5. 2 Kings xxiii. 13. 

443. Offensive : So called on account of the idolatrous worship there per- 
formed ; in other places called by Milton, for the same reason, the mountain 
of corruption, opprobrious hill, and hill of scandal. 

444. Uxorious king : Solomon, who was too much influenced by his wives. 
451. Thammuz: This idol is the same as the Phenician Adonis. Ezek. 

viii. 14. Adonis, in the heathen mythology, was a beautiful youth, son of 
Cinyrus, king of Cyprus, beloved by Venus, and killed by a wild boar, to the 
great regret of the goddess. It is also the name of a river of Phenicia, on the 
banks of which Adonis, or Thammuz as he is called in the East, was sup- 
posed to have been killed. At certain seasons of the year this river acquires 
a high red color by the rains washing up red earth. The ancient poets as- 
cribed this to a sympathy in the river for the death of Adonis. This season 
was observed as a festival in the adjacent country. To these circumstances 
Milton has here beautifully alluded. — Brandf.'s Cyc. 



BOOK I. 41 

Of alienated Judah. j Next came one 

Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive ark 

Mairn'd his brute image, head and hands lopp'd off 

In his own temple r on the grunsel edge, 460 

Where he fell flat, and shamed his worshippers : 

Dagon his name, sea-monster, upward man 

And downward fish : yet had his temple high 

Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the coast 

Of Palestine, in (rath and Ascalon, 465 

And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds. 

Him follow'd Rimmon, whose delightful seat 

Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks 

Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid streams. 

He also 'gainst the house of God was bold : 470 

A leper once he lost, and gain'd a king ; 

Ahaz his sottish conqu'ror, whom he drew 

God's altar to disparage and displace 

For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn 

His odious offerings, and adore the gods 475 

Whom he had vanquish 'd. After these appear'd 

A crew, who, under names of old renown, 

460. Grunsel edge: Groundsill edge — the threshold of the gate of the 
temple. 

462. Dagon: A god of the Philistines. Consult Judges xvi. 23. 1 Sam. v. 
4; vi. 17. 

467. Rimmon: A god of the Syrians. Consult 2 Kings v. 18. 

467-9. The power of Milton's mind is stamped on every line. The fer- 
vour of his imagination melts down and renders malleable, as in a furnace, 
the most contradictory materials. Milton's learning has all the effect of in- 
tuition. He describes objects, of which he could only have read in books, 
with the vividness of actual observation. His imagination has the force of 
nature. He makes words tell as pictures, as in these lines. The word lucid, 
here used, gives us all the sparkling effect of the most perfect landscape 
There is great depth of impression in his descriptions of the objects of all the 
different senses, whether colours, or sounds, or smells; the same absorption of 
mind in whatever engaged his attention at the time. He forms the most in- 
tense conceptions of things, and then embodies them by a single stroke of his 
pen. — Hazlitt. 

471. 2 Kings viii. xvi. 10. 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. 



42 PARADISE LOST. 

Osiris, Iris, Orus, and their train, 

With monstrous shapes and sorceries abused 

Fanatic Egypt and her priests, to seek 480 

Their wandering gods disguised in brutish forms 

Rather than human. Nor did Israel 'scape 

Th' infection, when their borrow'd gold composed 

The calf in Oreb ; and the rebel king 

Doubled that sin in Bethel and in Dan, 485 

Likening his Maker to the grazed ox ; 

Jehovah, who in one night when he pass'd 

From Egypt marching, equall'd with one stroke 

Both her first-born, and all her bleating gods. 

Belial came last, than whom a spirit more lewd 490 

Fell not from heaven, or more gross to love 

Vice for itself: to whom no temple stood, 

Nor altar smoked ; yet who more oft than he 

In temples and at altars, when the priest 

Turns atheist, as did Eli's sons, who fill'd 495 

478. Osiris, one of the principal Egyptian gods, was brother to Isis, and 
the father of Orus (Horus) . Osiris was worshipped under the form of the 
sacred bulls. Apis and Mnevis ; and as it is usual in the Egyptian symboli- 
cal language to represent their deities with human forms, and with the heads 
of the animals which were their representatives, we find statues of Osiris 
with the horns of a bull. — Anthon. 

The reason alleged for worshipping their gods under the monstrous forms 
of bulls, cats, &c, is the fabulous tradition that when the Giants invaded hea- 
ven, the gods were so affrighted that they fled into Egypt, and there concealed 
themselves in the shapes of various animals. See Ovid Met. v. 319. — N. 

483. Infection : The Israelites, by dwelling so long in Egypt, were infected 
with the superstitions of the Egyptians. — E. B. 

484. Oreb : Horeb. Rebel king : Jeroboam. Consult 1 Kings xii. 2G-33. 

485. Doubled that sin, by making two golden calves, probably in imitation 
of the Egyptians among whom he had been, who worshipped two oxen ; 
one called Apis, at Memphis, the metropolis of Upper Egypt ; the other 
called Mnevis, at Hieropolis, the chief city of Lower Egypt. Bethel and Ban 
were at the southern and northern extremities of Palestine. See Psalm 
cvi. 20.— N. 

489. Bleating gods : Sheep ; and hence shepherds who raised sheep to kill 
for food were " an abomination" to the Egyptians. 
495. Elf s sons: Consult 1 Sam. ii. 



BOOK J. 43 

With lust and violence the house of God ? 

Tn courts and palaces he also reigns, 

And in luxurious cities, where the noise 

Of riot ascends above their loftiest towers, 

And injury and outrage : and when night 500 

Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons 

Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine. 

Witness the streets of Sodom, and that night 

In Gibeah, when the hospitable door 

Exposed a matron, to avoid worse rape. 505 

These were the prime in order and in might : 

The rest were long to tell, though far renown'd, 

Th' Ionian gods, of Javan's issue held 

Gods, yet confess'd later than Heaven and Earth, 

Their boasted parents : Titan, Heav'n's first-born, 510 

With his enormous brood, and birthright seized 

By younger Saturn : he from mightier Jove, 

His own and Rhea's son, like measure found ; 

So Jove usurping reign'd : these first in Crete 

And Ida known, thence on the snowy top 515 

Of cold Olympus, ruled the middle air, 

Their highest heav'n ; or on the Delphian cliff, 

Or in Dodona, and through all the bounds 

Of Doric land ; or who with Saturn old 

Fled over Adria to th' Hesperian fields, 520 

And o'er the Celtic roam'd the utmost isles. 

5C2. Flown: A better reading is blown, inflated. Virg. Ec. vi. 15. 

504. Gibeah : Consult Judges xix. 14-30. 

506. Prime : Being mentioned in the oldest records, the Hebrew. 

508. Javan : The fourth son of Japhet, from whom the Ionians and the 
Greeks are supposed to have descended. 

509. Heaven and Earth : The grd Uranus, and the goddess Gaia. 
510-521. Titan was their eldest son: he was the father of the Giants^ 

and his empire was seized by his younger brother Saturn, as Saturn's was by 
Jupiter, the son of Saturn and Rhea. These first were known in the island 
of Crete, now Candia, in which is Mount Ida, where Jupiter is said to have 
been born ; thence passed over into Greece, and resided on Alount Olympus 
in Thessaly : the snowy top of cold Olympus, as Homer calls it, Iliad i. 420. xviii. 
615, which mountain afterwards became the name of Heaven among their 



44 PARADISE LOST. 

All these and more came flocking ; but with looks 
Downcast and damp ; yet such wherein appear'd 
Obscure some glimpse of joy, to have found their chief 
Not in despair, to have found themselves not lost 525 

In loss itself: which on his count'nance cast 
Like doubtful hue : but he, his wonted pride 
Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore 
Semblance of worth, no+ substance, gently raised 
Their fainting courage, and dispell'd their fears. 530 

Then straight commanas, that at the warlike sound 
Of trumpets loud and clarions be uprear'd 
His mighty standard ; that proud honor claim'd 
Azazel as his right, a cherub tall ; 

Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurl 'd 535 

Th' imperial ensign ; which, full high advanced, 
Shone like a meteor, streaming to the wind, 
With gems and golden lustre rich emblazed 
Seraphic arms and trophies ; all the while 
Sonorous metal blowing martial sounds : 540 

At which the universal host up-sent 
A shout, that tore hell's concave, and beyond 
Frighted the reign of Chaos and old Night. 
All in a moment through the gloom were seen 
Ten thousand banners rise into the air, 545 

With orient colors waving : with them rose 
A forest huge of spears ; and thronging helms 
Appear'd, and serried shields in thick array 

worshippers; or on the Delphian cliff, Parnassus, on which was seated the 
city of Delphi, famous for the temple and oracle of Apollo ; or in Dodona, a 
city and wood adjoining, sacred to Jupiter ; and through all the bounds of Doric- 
land, that is. of Greece, Doris heing a part of Greece ; or fled over Hadria, 
the Adriatic sea, to the Hesperian fields, to Italy ; and o'er the Celtic, France 
and the other countries overrun by the Celts ; roamed the utmost isles, Great 
Britain. Ireland, the Orkneys, Thule, or Iceland, Ultima Thule, as it is called, 
the utmost boundary of the world. — N. 

534. Jlzazel : The name signifies brave in retreating. 

543. Reign, in the sense of regnum, kingdom. 

546. Orient: Brilliant. 



BOOK I. 45 

Of depth immeasurable : anon they move 

In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood 550 

Of flutes and soft recorders ; such as raised 

To height of noblest temper heroes old 

Arming to battle ; and instead of rage 

Deliberate valor breath 'd, firm and unmoved 

With dread of death to flight or foul retreat 555 

Nor wanting power to mitigate and 'suage, 

With solemn touches troubled thoughts, and chase 

Anguish, and doubt, and fear, and sorrow, and pain 

From mortal or immortal minds. Thus they, 

Breathing united force, with fixed thought, 560 

Moved on in silence, to soft pipes, that charm'd 

Their painful steps o'er the burnt soil: and now 

Advanced in view they stand ; a horrid front 

Of dreadful length and dazzling arms, in guise 

Of warriors old with order'd spear and shield, 565 

Awaiting what command their mighty chief 

Had to impose : he through the armed files 

Darts his experienced eye, and soon traverse 

The whole battalion views, their order due, 

Their visages and stature as of gods : 570 

Their number last he sums. And now his heart 

Distends with pride, and hardening in his strength 

Glories ; for never since created man 

Met such embodied force, as, named with these, 

Could merit more than that small infantry 575 

548. Serried shields : Locked one within another, linked and clasped to- 
gether, from the French serrer, to lock, to shut close. — Hume. 

550. There were three kinds of music among the ancients ; the Lydian, 
the most melancholy; the Phrygian, the most lively; and the Dorian, the 
most majestic, (exciting to cool and deliberate courage. — N.) Milton has 
been very exact in employing music fit for each particular purpose. — S. 

551. Recorders: Flageolets. 

560. Homer's Iliad, iii. 8. 568. Traverse : across. 

575. All the heroes and armies that ever were assembled were no more 
than pigmies in comparison with these angels. — N. See note on Book 
I. 780. 



46 PARADISE LOST. 

Warr'd on by cranes : though all the giant brood 

Of Phlegra with th' heroic race were join'd 

That fought at Thebes and Ilium, on each side 

Mix'd with auxiliar gods ; and what resounds 

In fable or romance of Uther's son 580 

Begirt with British and Armoric knights ; 

And all who since, baptized or infidel, 

Jousted in Aspramont, or Montalban, 

Damasco, or Marocco, or Trebisond, 

Or whom Biserta sent from Afric shore, 585 

When Charlemagne with all his peerage fell 

By Fontarabia. Thus far these beyond 

Compare of mortal prowess, yet observed 

Their dread commander : he, above the rest 

In shape and gesture proudly eminent, 590 

Stood like a tower ; his form had not yet lost 

577. Phlegra : The earlier name of the peninsula Pallene in Macedonia 
and the fabled scene of a conflict between the gods and the earth-born 
Titans. 

580. Uther was the father of king Arthur. This and the following allu 
sions are derived from the old romances on the subject. Charlemagne is 
said not to have died at Fontarabia, but some years after, and in peace. — S. 

581. Armoric: Celtic — those on the sea-coast of Brittany in the north- 
west part of France. 

583. Jousted: Engaged in mock fights on horseback. Jlspramont and 
Montalban : Fictitious names of places mentioned in Orlando Furioso. 

585. Biserta : Formerly called Utica. The Saracens are referred to as 
being sent thence to Spain. Fontarabia : Afortified town in Biscay, in Spain, 
near France. 

590-99. Here, says Burke, is a very noble picture ; and in what does this 
poetical picture consist ? in images of a town, an archangel, the sun rising 
through mists, or in an eclipse, the ruin of monarchs, and the revolutions of 
kingdoms. The mind is hurried out of itself by a crowd of great and con- 
fused images, which affect because they are crowded and confused : for 
separate them, and you lose much of the greatness ; join them, and you in- 
fallibly lose the clearness. There are reasons in nature why the obscure 
idea, when properly conveyed, should be more affecting than the clear. It 
is our (comparative) ignorance of things that causes all our admiration, and 
chiefly excites our passions. Knowledge and acquaintance make the most 
striking causes affect but little. It is thus with the vulgar, and all men are 
astne vulgar in what they do not understand. 



BOOK I. 47 

All her original brightness, nor appear'd 

Less than archangel ruin'd, and the excess 

Of glory obscured ; as when tta sun, new risen, 

Looks through the horizontal misty air 595 

Shorn of his beams ; or from behind the moon, 

In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds 

On half the nations, and with fear of change 

Perplexes monarchs. Darken'd so, yet shone 

Above them all the Arch-angel : but his face 600 

Deep scars of thunder had intrench'd, and care 

Sat on his faded cheek ; but under brows 

Of dauntless courage, and considerate pride 

Waiting revenge ; cruel his eye, but cast 

Signs of remorse and passion, to behold 605 

The fellows of his crime, the followers rather 

595-6. When Milton sought license to publish his poem, the licenser was 
strongly inclined to withhold it, on the ground that he discovered treason in 
this noble simile of the sun eclipsed ! a striking example of the acute remark 
of Lord Lyttleton, that " the politics of Milton at that time brought his 
poetry into disgrace ; for it is a rule with the English to see no good in a 
man whose politics they dislike." — T. 

597. Eclipse : Derived from a Greek word which signifies to fail, to faint 
or swoon away ; since the moon, at the period of her greatest brightness, 
falling into the shadow of the earth, was imagined by the ancients to sicken 
and swoon, as if she were going to die. By some very ancient nations she 
was supposed, at such times, to be in pain; and, in order to relieve her fan- 
cied distress, they lifted torches high in the atmosphere, blew horns and 
trumpets, beat upon brazen vessels, and even, after the eclipse was over, they 
offered sacrifices to the moon. The opinion also extensively prevailed, that 
it was in the power of witches, by their spells and charms, not only to 
darken the moon, but to bring her down from her orbit, and to compel her to 
shed her baleful influences upon the earth. In solar eclipses, also, especially 
when total, the sun was supposed to turn away his face in abhorrence of 
some atrocious crime, that had either been perpetrated, or was about to be 
perpetrated, and to threaten mankind with everlasting night, and the destruc- 
tion of the world. To such superstitions Milton, in this passage, alludes. — 
Olmsted's Letters on Astron. 

No where is the person of Satan described with more sublimity than in 
ihis part of the poem. 

600. Intrenched : Cut into, made trenches there. — N. 

606. Fellows. The nice moral discrimination displayed in this line, is 
worthy of notice. 



48 PARADISE LOST. 

(Far other ODce beheld in bliss), condemned 

For ever now to have their lot in pain : 

Millions of Spirits for his fault amerced 

Of heaven, and from eternal splendours flung 610 

For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood, 

Their glory wither'd: as when Heav'n's fire 

Hath scath'd the forest oaks, or mountain pines, 

With singed top their stately growth tho' bare 

Stands on the blasted heath. He now prepared 615 

To speak ; whereat their doubled ranks they bend 

From wing to wing, and half inclose him round 

With all his peers. Attention held them mute. 

Thrice he essay'd, and thrice, in spite of scorn, 

Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth. At last 620 

Words interwove with sighs found out their way. 

myriads of immortal Spirits, Powers 
Matchless, but with th' Almighty, and that strife 
Was not inglorious, though the event was dire, 
As this place testifies, and this dire change, 625 

Hateful to utter ; but what power of mind, 
Foreseeing or presaging, from the depth 
Of knowledge past or present, could have fear'd 
How such united force of Gods, how such 
As stood like these, could ever know repulse ; 630 

For who can yet believe, though after loss, 
That all these puissant legions, whose exile 

609. Amerced : Judicially deprived. See Horn. Odys. viii. 64. 
611. Yet faithful: We must refer lo line 605, and thence supply here "to 
behold." 

619. Allusion to Ovid. Met. xi. 419 : 

Ter conata loqui, ter fletibus ora rigavit. 

620. Tea?s, such as angels ivccp . Like Homer's ichor of the gods, which 
was different from the blood of mortals. This weeping of Satan on survey- 
ing his numerous host, and the thoughts of their wretched state, put one in 
mind of the story of Xerxes, weeping at the sight of his immense army, and 
reflecting that they were mortal, at the time that he was hastening them to 
their fate, and to the intended destruction of the most polished people in the 
world, to gratify his own vain glory. — N. 



BOOK I. 49 

Hath emptied Heav'n. shall fail to re-ascend 

Self-raised, and repossess their native seat ? 

For me, be witness all the host of Heav'n, 635 

If counsels different, or danger shunn'd 

By me, have lost our hopes. But he who reigns 

Monarch in Heav'n, till then as one secure 

Sat on his throne, upheld by old repute, 

Consent, or custom, and his regal state 640 

Put forth at full, but still his strength conceal'd, 

Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall. 

Henceforth his might we know, and know our own, 

So as not either to provoke or dread 

New war, provoked ; our better part remains 645 

To work in close design, by fraud or guile, 

What force effected not ; that he no less 

At length from us may find, who overcomes 

By force, hath overcome but half his foe. 

Space may produce new worlds ; whereof so rife 650 

There went a fame in Heav'n that he ere long 

Intended to create, and therein plant 

A generation, whom his choice regard 

Should favour equal to the sons of Heav'n : 

Thither, if but to pry, shall be perhaps 655 

Our first eruption, thither or elsewhere : 

For this infernal pit shall never hold 

Celestial Spirits in bondage, nor th' abyss 

Long under darkness cover. But these thoughts 

Full counsel must mature : Peace is despair'd, 66C 

For who can think submission ? War then, War, 

Open or understood, must be resolved. 

He spake : and, to confirm his words, out flew 

633. Emptied: An instance of arrogant boasting and falsehood. 

642. Tempted our attempt : Words which, though well-chosen and signifi- 
cant enough, yet of jingling and unpleasant sound, and, like marriages be- 
tween persons too near of kin, to be avoided. 

650. Rife: Prevalent. This fame, or report, serves to exalt the dignitt 
and importance of our race. 

662. Understood : Not declared. 
4 



50 PARADISE LOST. 

Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs 

Of mighty Cherubim : the sudden blaze 665 

Far round illumined Hell. Highly they raged 

Against the Highest, and fierce with grasped arms 

Clash'd on their sounding shields the din of war, 

Hurling defiance tow'rd the vault of Heaven. 

There stood a hill not far, whose grisly top 670 

Belch'd fire and rolling smoke ; the rest entire 
Shone with a glossy scurf, undoubted sign 
That in his womb was hid metallic ore, 
The work of sulphur. Thither wing'd with speed 
A num'rous brigade hasten 'd : as when bands 675 

Of pioneers, with spade and pickaxe arm'd, 
Forerun the royal camp to trench a field, 
Or cast a rampart. Mammon led them on ; 
Mammon, the least erected Spirit that fell 
From Heav'n : for e'en in Heav'n his looks and thoughts 680 
Were always downward bent, admiring more 
The riches of Heav'n's pavement, trodden gold, 
Than aught divine or holy else enjoy'd 
In vision beatific. By him first 
Men also, and by his suggestion taught, 685 

664. Drawn from the thighs : A Homeric expression, Iliad, i. 190, more dig- 
nified than " drawn from the sides." 

668. Clashed : Alluding to a custom among Roman soldiers of striking 
their shields with their swords, when they applauded the speeches of their 
commanders. 

671. Belched: An idea borrowed, perhaps, from an expression of Virgil 
(iEn. iii. 576) , eructans, in describing JEtna. 

674. The work of sulphur : Metals were in the the time of Milton supposed 
to consist of two component parts, mercury, as the basis, or metallic matter ; 
and sulphur as the binder or cement, which fixes the fluid mercury into a co- 
herent, malleable mass. So Jonson in the Alchemist, Act 2, Scene 3 : 
" It turns to sulphur, or to quicksilver. 
Who are the parents of all other metals." 

678. Mammon : The god of riches ; the same as the Pluto of the Greeks 
and Romans. Tne delineation of his character and agency by Milton, 
abounds in literary beauties. 

685. Suggestion: Milton here alludes to a superstitious opinion formerly 



BOOK I. 51 

Ransack'd the centre, and with impious hands 

Rifled the bowels of their mother earth 

For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew 

Open'd into the hill 'a spacious wound, 

And digg'd out ribs of gold. Let none admire 690 

That riches grow in Hell ; that soil may best 

Deserve the precious bane. And here let those 

Who boast in mortal things, and wond'ring tell 

Of Babel, and the works of Memphian kings, 

Learn how their greatest monuments of fame, 695 

And strength, and art, are easily outdone 

By Spirits reprobate, and in an hour 

What in an age they with incessant toil 

And hands innumerable scarce perform. 

Nigh on the plain in many cells prepared, 700 

That underneath had veins of liquid fire 

Sluiced from the lake, a second multitude 

With wond'rous art founded the massy ore, 

Severing each kind, and scumm'd the bullion dross ; 

A third as soon had form'd within the ground - 705 

A various mould, and from the boiling cells 

current with the miners, that there is a sort of demons who have much to 
do with minerals, being frequently seen occupying themselves with the va- 
rious processes of the workmen. So that Milton (as Warburton remarks) 
poetically supposes Mammon and his clan to have taught the sons of earth by 
e. ample and practical instruction, as well as precept and mental suggestion. 

687. Compare Ovid Met. i. 138, &c— Hume. 

688. Better hid. Compare Hor. Od. III. iii. 49 : 

" Aurum irrepertum, et sic melius situm." 

694. Works : The pyramids. 

696. Strength and art : These words are in the nominative case, connected 
with monuments. 

699. Diodorus Siculus says, that 360,000 men were employed about twenty 
years on one of the pyramids. 

703-4. The sense of the passage is this : They founded, or melted, the ore 
that was in the mass, by separating, or severing, each kind, that is, the sul- 
phur, earth, &c, from the metal ; and, after that, they stummed the dross 
that floated on the top of the boiling ore, or bullion. The word bullion does 
not here signify purified ore, but ore boiling. — Peaiice. 



52 PARADISE LOST. 

By strange conveyance fill'd each hollow nook, 

As in an organ, from one blast of wind, 

To many a row of pipes, the sound-board breathes. 

Anon out of the earth a fabric huge 710 

Rose like an exhalation, with the sound 

Of dulcet symphonies and voices sweet, 

Built like a temple, where pilasters round 

Were set, and Doric pillars overlaid 

With golden architrave ; nor did there want 715 

Cornice or frieze, with bossy sculptures grav'n : 

The roof was fretted gold. Not Babylon, 

Nor great Alcairo such magnificence 

Equall'd in all their glories, to inshrine 

Belus or Serapis their Gods, or seat 720 

Their kings, when Egypt with Assyria strove 

In wealth and luxury. Th 1 ascending pile 

Stood fix'd her stately height ; and straight the doors, 

Op'ning their brazen folds, discover wide 

Within her ample spaces, o'er the smooth 725 

And level pavement. From the arched roof, 

Pendant by subtle magic, many a row 

Of starry lamps and blazing cressets, fed 

With naphtha and asphaltus, yielded light 

As from a sky. The hasty multitude 730 

708. Organ: A very complete simile is here used. Milton, being fond of 
music, often draws fine illustrations from it. 

710. jinon: At once. 

713. Architrave : The part of a pillar above the capital. Above this, is the 
frieze, which is surmounted by the cornice. 

718. Alcairo: Cairo, a famous city in Egypt, built from the splendid ruins 
of Memphis, which was partially destroyed by Arabian invaders, in the 
seventh century. The god Serapis, is by some supposed to be the same as 
Osiris, or Apis. The Belus of Assyria is thought to be the same as the 
great Bali of Hindoo mythology, and Baal mentioned in the Scriptures. 

723. Her stately height : At her stately height. 

725. Within: Is an adverb and not a preposition. So Virg. JEn. ii. 483. 
Apparet domus intus, et atria longa patescunt. 

N. 
728. Cressets : Torches. 



BOOK I. 



53 



Admiring enter'd ; and the work some praise, 

And some the architect : his hand was known 

In heaven by many a tower'd structure high, 

Where sceptred angels held their residence, 

And sat as princes ; whom the supreme King 735 

Exalted to such power, and gave to rule, 

Each in his hierarchy, the orders bright. 

Nor was his name unheard or unadored 

In ancient Greece ; and in Ausonian land 

Men call'd him Mulciber ; and how he fell 740 

From Heaven, they fabled, thrown by angry Jove 

Sheer o'er the crystal battlements : from morn 

To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, 

A summer's day ; and with the setting sun 

Dropt from the zenith like a falling star, 745 

On Lemnos, th' iEgean isle : thus they relate, 

Erring ; for he with this rebellious rout 

Fell long before ; nor ought avail'd him now 

T' have built in heav'n high tow'rs ; nor did he 'scape 

By all his engines, but was headlong sent 750 

With his industrious crew to build in hell. 

Meanwhile, the winged heralds, by command 
Of sovereign power, with awful ceremony 

740. Mulciber : Or Vulcan, to which god was ascribed the invention of 
arts connected with the melting and working of metals by fire. The term 
Vulcan is, hence, sometimes used as synonymous with fire. How he fell, $c 
See Homer's Iliad, i. 590. 

•' Once in your cause I felt his (Jove's) matchless might, 
Hurl'd headlong downward from the ethereal height ; 
Tost all the day in rapid circles round ; 
Nor till the sun descended, touched the ground : 
Breathless I fell, in giddy motion lost ; 
The Sinthians raised me on the Lemnian coast." 

It is worth observing how Milton lengthens out the time of Vulcan's fall. 
He not only says with Homer, that it was all day long, but we are led 
through the parts of the day from niorn to noon, from noon to evening, and 
this a summer's day. — N. 

742. Sheer: Quite, or at once. 

750. Engines : It is said that in the old English, this word was often used 
for devices, wit, contrivance. 



54 PARADISE LOST. 

And trumpet's sound, throughout the host proclaim 

A solemn council, forthwith to be held 755 

At Pandemonium, the high capital 

Of Satan and his peers : their summons call'd 

From every band and squared regiment 

By place or choice the worthiest : they anon, 

With hundreds and with thousands, trooping came 760 

Attended : all access was throng'd : the gates 

And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall 

(Though like a cover'd field, where champions bold 

Wont ride in arm'd, and at the soldan's chair 

Defied the best of Panim chivalry 765 

To mortal combat, or career with lance), 

Thick swarm 'd, both on the ground and in the air, 

Brush'd with the hiss of rustling wings. As bees 

In spring time, when the sun with Taurus rides, 

Pour forth their populous youth about the hive 770 

In clusters ; they among fresh dews and flowers 

Fly to and fro, or on the smoothed plank, 

The suburb of their straw-built citadel, 

New rubb'd with balm, expatiate and confer 

Their state affairs ; so thick the aery crowd 775 

Swarm 'd and were straiten'd ; till, the signal given, 

Behold a wonder ! They but now who seem'd 

In bigness to surpass earth's giant sons, 

Now less than smallest dwarfs, in narrow room 

763. Covered: Enclosed. 

764. Wont ride in : Were accustomed to ride in. Soldan's : Sultan's. 

765. Panim : Pagan, infidel. 

768. As bees, &>c. : Iliad, ii. 87. 

" As from some rocky cleft the shepherd sees 
Clustering in heaps on heaps the diiving bees, 
Rolling and blackening, swarms succeeding swarms 
With deeper murmurs and more hoarse alarms ; 
Dusky they spread, a close embodi'd crowd, 
And o'er the vale descends the living cloud. 
So," &c. 

769. Taurus : One of the signs of the Zodiac, Book X. 663. 
777. A wonder : Consult the note on line 423. 



BOOK I. 55 

Throng numberless, like that pygmean race 780 

Beyond the Indian mount ; or fairy elves, 

Whose midnight revels, by a forest-side 

Or fountain, some belated peasant sees, 

Or dreams he sees, while over head the moon 

Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth 785 

Wheels her pale course ; they, on their mirth and dance 

Intent, with jocund music charm his ear ; 

At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds. 

Thus incorporeal spirits to smallest forms 

Reduced their shapes immense, and were at large, 790 

Though without number still, amidst the hall 

Of that infernal court. But far within, 

And in their own dimensions like themselves, 

The great Seraphic Lords and Cherubim, 

In close recess and secret conclave sat, 795 

A thousand Demi-gods on golden seats, 

Frequent and full. After short silence then, 

And summons read, the great consult began. 

780. Pygmean, Sfc. : A fabulous nation of dwarfs that 'contended annually 
with cranes. They advanced against these birds mounted on the backs of 
rams and goats, and armed with bows and arrows. — Iliad, iii. 3. 

785. Nearer to the earth, SfC. : Referring to the superstitious notion that 
witches and fairies exert great power over the moon. 

789. Spirits, fyc. : For some further account of the nature and properties of 
spirits consult Book VI. 344-353. 

795. Secret conclave : An evident allusion to the conclaves of the cardinals 
on the death of a Pope. — E. B. 

797. Frequent : Crowded, as in the Latin phrase, frequens senatus. 

798. Consult: Consultation. 



Milton, in imitation of Homer and Virgil, opens his Paradise Lost with 
an infernal council, plotting the fall of man, which is the action he proposed 
to celebrate ; and as for those great actions, the battle of the angels and the 
creation of the world, which preceded, in point of time, and which would 
have entirely destroyed the unity of the principal action, had he related 
them in the same order in which they happened, he cast them into the fifth, 
sixth, and seventh books, by way of episode to this noble poem. It may be 
remarked of all the episodes introduced by Milton, that they arise naturally 
from the subject. In relating the fall of man, he has (by way of episode) 



56 PARADISE LOST. 

related the fall of those angels who were his professed enemies ; and the two 
narratives are so conducted as not to destroy unity of action, having a close 
affinity for each other. 

In respect to the rule of epic poetry, which requires the action to be en- 
tire, or complete, in all its parts, having a beginning, a middle, and an end 
the action in the Paradise Lost, was contrived in Hell, executed upon Earth, 
and punished by Heaven. The parts are distinct, yet grow out of one ano- 
ther in the most natural method. — A. 



THE CHARACTERS IN PARADISE LOST. 

Addison, in his Spectator, has some learned and interesting remarks upon 
this topic, of which the substance is now to be presented. Homer has ex- 
celled all the heroic poets in the multitude and variety of his characters. 
Every god that is admitted into the Iliad, acts a part which would have been 
suitable to no other deity. His princes are as much distinguished by their 
manners as by their dominions ; and even those among them, whose charac- 
ters seem wholly made up of courage, differ from one another as to the par- 
ticular kinds of courage in which they excel. 

Homer excels, moreover, in the novelty of his characters. Some of them, 
also, possess a dignity which adapts them, in a peculiar manner, to the nature 
of an heroic poem. 

If we look into the characters of Milton, we shall find that he has intro- 
duced all the variety his narrative was capable of receiving. The whole 
species of mankind was in two persons, at the time to which the subject of 
his poem is confined. We have, however, four distinct characters in these 
two persons. We see man and woman in the highest innocence and per- 
fection, and in the most abject state of guilt and infirmity. The last two 
characters are now, indeed, very common and obvious ; but the first two are 
not only more magnificent, but more new than any characters either in Vir- 
gil of Homer, or, indeed, in the whole circle of nature. 

To supply the lack of characters, Milton has brought into his poem two 
actors of a shadowy and fictitious nature, in the persons of Sin and Death, 
by which means he has wrought into the body of his fable a very beautiful 
and well-invented allegory. — (See Note, Book II. 649.) 

Another principal actor in this poem, is the great Adversary of mankind. 
The part of Ulysses, in Homers Odyssey, is very much admired by Aris- 
totle, as perplexing that fable with very agreeable plots and intricacies, not 
only by the many adventures in his voyage, and the subtlety of his be- 
haviour, but by the various concealments and discoveries of his person in 
several parts of that poem. But the crafty being, mentioned above, makes 
a much longer voyage than Ulysses, puts in practice many more wiles and 
stratagems, and hides himself under a greater variety of shapes and appear- 
ances, all of which are severally detected, to the great delight and surprise 
jf the reader. 

It may, likewise, be observed, with how much art the poet has varied 



BOOK I. 57 

several characters of the persons that speak in his infernal assembly. On the 
contrary, he has represented the whole Godhead exerting itself towards man, 
in its full benevolence, under the threefold distinction of a Creator, Redeemer, 
and Comforter. 

The angels are as much diversified in Milton, and distinguished by their 
proper parts, as the gods are in Homer or Virgil. The reader will find 
nothing ascribed to Uriel, Gabriel. Michael, or Raphael, which is not in a 
particular manner suitable to their respective characters. 

The heroes of the Iliad and iEneid, were nearly related to the people for 
whom Virgil and Homer wrote : their adventures would be read, conse- 
quently, with the deeper interest by their respective countrymen. But 
Milton's poem has an advantage, in this respect, above both the others, 
since it is impossible for any of its readers, whatever nation or country he 
may belong to, not to be related to the persons who are the principal actors 
in it ; but, what is still infinitely more to its advantage, the principal actors 
in this poem, are not only our progenitors, but our representatives. We have 
an actual interest in everything they do, and no less than our utmost happi- 
ness is concerned, and lies at stake in all their behaviour. 



OBJECTION TO MYTHOLOGICAL ALLUSIONS CONSIDERED. 

The charge is brought against Milton of blending the Pagan and Chris- 
tian forms. The great realities of angels and archangels, are continually 
combined into the same groups with the fabulous impersonations of the 
Greek Mythology. 

In other poets, this combination might be objected to, but not in Milton, 
for the following reason : Milton has himself laid an early foundation for his 
introduction of the pagan pantheism into Christian groups ; the false gods of 
the heathen were, according to Milton, the fallen angels. They are not 
false, therefore, in the sense of being unreal, baseless, and having a merely 
fantastical existence, like the European fairies, but as having drawn aside 
mankind from a pure worship. As ruined angels, under other names, they 
are no less real than the faithful and loyal angels of the Christian Heaven. 
And in that one difference of the Miltonic creed, which the poet has brought 
pointedly and elaborately under his readers' notice by his matchless cata- 
logue of the rebellious angels, and of their pagan transformations, in the very 
first book of the Paradise Lost, is laid beforehand the amplest foundation for 
his subsequent practice ; and, at the same time, therefore, the amplest an- 
swer to the charge preferred against him by Dr. Johnson, and by so many 
other critics, who had not sufficiently penetrated the latent theory on which 
he acted. — Blackwood's Mag. 



THE CHARACTER OF MILTON'S SATAN. 
" Satan is the most heroic subject that ever was chosen for a poem; and 
the execution is as perfect as the design is lofty. He was the first of created 



58 PARADISE LOST. 

beings, who. for endeavouring to be equal with the Highest, and to divide the 
empire of Heaven with the Almighty, was hurled down to Hell. His aim 
was no less than the throne of the universe ; his means, myriads of angelic 
armies bright, who durst defy the Omnipotent in arms. His strength of 
mind was matchless, as his strength of body : the vastness of his designs 
did not surpass the firm, inflexible determination with which he submitted 
to his irreversible doom, and final loss of all good. His power of action and 
of suffering was equal. He was the greatest power that was ever over- 
thrown, with the strongest will left to resist or to endure. He was baffled, 
not confounded. The fierceness of tormenting flames is qualified and made 
innoxious by the greater fierceness of his pride : the loss of infinite happi- 
ness to himself, is compensated in thought by the power of inflicting infinite 
misery on others. Yet, Satan is not the principle of malignity, or of the ab- 
stract love of evil, but of the abstract love of power, of pride, of self-will 
personified, to which last principle all other good and evil, and even his own, 
are subordinate. He expresses the sum and substance of ambition in one 
line, "Fallen cherub, to be weak is miserable, doing or suffering." He 
founds a new empire in Hell, and from it conquers this new world, whither 
he bends his undaunted flight, forcing his way through nether and surround- 
ing fires. The Achilles of Homer is not more distinct ; the Titans were not 
more vast ; Prometheus, chained to his rock, was not a more terrific example 
of suffering and of crime. Wherever the figure of Satan i-s introduced, whether 
he walks or flies, " rising aloft incumbent on the dusky air," it is illustrated 
with the most striking and appropriate images : so that we see it always 
before us, gigantic, irregular, portentous, uneasy, and disturbed, but dazzling 
in its faded splendor, the clouded ruins of a god. The deformity of Satan is 
only in the depravity of his will ; he has no bodily deformity, to excite our 
loathing or disgust. 

" Not only the figure of Satan, but his speeches in council, his soliloquies, 
his address to Eve, his share in the war in heaven, show the same decided 
superiority of character." — Hazijtt. 

Another sketch of Satan may be found at the close of Book III., from the 
dashing pen of Gilfillan. 

Hazlitt, in the above sketch of Milton's Satan, had no authority for saying 
that he was not a personification of malice, but, simply, of pride and self- 
will : this will appear on referring to Book I. 215-17 ; Book V. 666; Book 
VI. 151, 270 ; Book IX. 126, 134. 



BOOK II. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

The consultation begun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be 
hazarded for the recovery of Heaven ; some advise it, others dissuade ; a third 
proposal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to search the truth of that 
prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind 
of creature, equal or not much inferior to themselves, about this time to be 
created : their doubt who shall be sent on this difficult search : Satan, their 
chief, undertakes, alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council 
thus ended, the rest betake them several ways, and to several employments, 
as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He 
passes on his journey to Hell-gates, finds them shut, and who sat there to 
guard them, by whom at length they are opened, and discover to him the 
great gulf between Hell and Heaven ; with what difficulty he passes 
through, directed by Chaos, the power of that place, to the sight of this new 
world which he sought. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

In tracing the progress of this poem hy deliberate and minute steps, our 
wonder and admiration increase. The inexhaustible invention continues to 
grow upon us ; each page, each line, is pregnant with something new, pic- 
turesque, and great ; the condensity of the matter is without any parallel ; 
the imagination often contained in a single passage, is more than equal to all 
that secondary poets have produced. The fable of the voyage through Chaos 
is alone a sublime poem. Milton's descriptions of materiality have always 
touches of the spiritual, the lofty and the empyreal. 

Milton has too much condensation to be fluent : a line or two often con- 
tains a world of images and ideas. He expatiates over all time, all space, all 
possibilities ; he unites Earth with Heaven, with Hell, with all intermediate 
existences, animate and inanimate ; and his illustrations are drawn from all 
learning, historical, natural, and speculative. In him, almost always, " more 
is meant than meets the eye." An image, an epithet, conveys a rich picture. 

What is the subject of observation, may be told without genius ; but the 
wonder and the greatness lie in invention, if the invention be noble, and ac- 
cording to the principles of possibility. Who could have conceived, or, if 
conceived, who could have described the voyage of Satan through Chaos, but 
Milton ? Who could have invented so many distinct and grand obstacles in 
his way, and all picturesqu", all poetical, and all the topics of intellectual 
meditati :n and reflection, or of spiritual sentiment. 

All the faculties of the mind are exercised, stretched and elevated at once 
by every page of Paradise Lost. That Milton could bring so much learning, 
as well as so much imaginative invention, to bear on every part of his infi- 
nitely-extended, yet thick-compacted story, is truly miraculous. Were the 
learning superficial and loosely applied, the wonder would not be great, or 
not nearly so great; but it is always profound, solid, conscientious ; and in ils 
combinations original. — E. B. 



BOOK II. 



High on a throne of royal state, which far 
Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind, 
Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand 
Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold, 
Satan exalted sat, by merit raised 5 

To that bad eminence ; and from despair 
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires 
Beyond thus high, insatiate to pursue 
Vain war with Heaven : and, by success untaught. 
His proud imaginations thus display'd : 
Pow'rs and Dominions, Deities of Heaven, 

1. Throne, §c. : u The all-enduring, all-defying pride of Satan, assuming so 
majestically Hell's burning throne, and coveting the diadem which scorches 
his thunder-blasted brow, is a creation requiring in its author almost the 
spiritual (mental) energy with which he invests the fallen seraph." — Chan- 
ning. 

2. Ormus: An island in the Persian Gulf. Ind; India. The wealth con- 
sisted chiefly in diamonds and pearls and gold, called barbaric, after the man- 
ner of Greeks and Romans, who accounted all nations but their own barbar- 
ous. 

4. Showers on, fyc. : It was an Eastern custom, as we learn from a Per- 
sian life of Timur-bec, or Tamerlane, at the coronation of their kings, to 
powder them with gold-dust or seed-pearl. — Warburton. See Virg. JEn. 
ii. 504. 

10. All the speeches and debates in Pandemonium are well worthy of the 
place and the occasion, with gods for speakers, and angels and archangels 
for hearers. There is a decided manly tone in the arguments and senti- 
ments, an eloquent dogmatism, as if each person spoke from thorough con- 
viction. The rout in heaven is like the fall of some mighty structure, nod- 
ding to its base, '• with hideous ruin and combustion down." — Hazlitt. 



62 PARADISE LOST. 

For since no deep within her gulf can hold 

Immortal vigour, though oppress'd and fall'n, 

I give not Heav'n for lost. From this descent 

Celestial virtues rising, will appear 15 

More glorions and more dread than from no fall, 

And trust themselves to fear no second fate. 

Me, though just right, and the fix'd laws of Heav'n, 

Did first create your leader, next free choice, 

With what besides, in council or in fight, 20 

Hath been achieved of merit ; yet this loss, 

Thus far at least recover'd, hath much more 

Establish'd in a safe unenvied throne, 

Yielded with full consent. The happier state 

In Heaven, which follows dignity, might draw 25 

Envy from each inferior ; but who here 

Will envy whom the highest place exposes 

Foremost to stand against the Thund'rer's aim 

Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest share 

Of endless pain ? Where there is then no good 30 

For which to strive, no strife can grow up there 

From faction ; for none sure will claim in Hell 

Precedence ; none, whose portion is so small 

Of present pain, that with ambitious mind 

Will covet more. With this advantage then 35 

To union, and firm faith, and firm accord, 

More than can be in Heav'n, we now return 

To claim our just inheritance of old, 

Surer to prosper than prosperity 

Could have assured us ; and by what best way, 40 

15. Virtues: Powers, or spirits. Thus, in Book V., the angels are ad- 
dressed under the following names : thrones, dominations, princedoms, 
virtues, powers. So in this Book, 1. 315, 316. 

17. Fate: Desl ruction. 

18. Me: The position of this word at the commencement of the sentence, 
indicates, in a vivid manner, the arrogance and pride of the speaker. 

That superior greatness and mock-majesty which is ascribed to the prince 
of fallen angels, is admirably preserved in the beginning of this book. His 
opening and closing the debate, his taking on himself that great enterprise. 



BOOK II. 63 

Whether of open war or covert guile, 

We now debate : who can advise, may speak. 

He ceased : and next him Moloch, scepter'd king, 
Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest Sp'rit 
That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by despair. 45 

His trust was with th' Eternal to be deem'd 
Equal in strength ; and rather than be less, 
Cared not to be at all. With that care lost 
Went all his fear : of God, or Hell, or worse, 
He reck'd not ; and these words thereafter spake : 50 

My sentence is for open war : of wiles 
More unexpert I boast not : them let those 
Contrive who need, or when they need, not now. 
For while they sit contriving, shall the rest, 
Millions that stand in arms, and longing wait 55 

The signal to ascend, sit ling'ring here 
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place 
Accept this dark opprobrious den of shame, 
The prison of his tyranny who reigns 

By our delay ? No, let us rather choose, 60 

Arm'd with Hell-flames and fury, all at once 
O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force resistless way, 
Turning our tortures, into horrid arms 
Against the torturer ; when to meet the noise 
Of his almighty engine he shall hear, 65 

Infernal thunder, and for lightning see 

at the thought of which the*whole infernal assembly trembled; his encoun- 
tering the hideous phantom, who guarded the gates of hell, and appeared to 
him in all his terrors, are instances of that daring mind which could not 
brook submission even to Omnipotence. — A. 

43. Moloch : The part of Moloch is, in all its circumstances, full of that 
fire and fury which distinguish this spirit from the rest of the fallen angels. 
He is described in the First Book ( 1. 392) as besmeared with the blood of 
human sacrifices, and delighted with the tears of parents, and the cries of 
children. In this Second Book, he is marked out as the fiercest spirit that 
fought in heaven ; and, if we consider the figure which he makes in the 
Sixth Book, where the battle of the angels is described, we find it every 
way answerable to the same furious, enraged character. 

All his sentiments are rash, audacious, and desperate, particularly from the 



64 PARADISE LOST 

Black fire and horror shot with equal rage 

Among his Angels, and his throne itself 

Mix'd with Tartarean sulphur, and strange fire, 

His own invented torments. But perhaps 70 

The way seems difficult and steep, to scale 

With upright wing against a higher foe. 

Let such bethink them, if the sleepy drench 

Of that forgetful lake benumb not still, 

That in our proper motion we ascend 75 

Up to our native seat ; descent and fall 

To us is ad/erse. Who but felt of late, 

When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear 

Insulting, and pursued us through the deep, 

With what compulsion and laborious flight , 80 

We sunk thus low ? Th' ascent is easy then ; 

Th' event is fear'd. Should we again provoke 

Our stronger, some worse way his wrath may find 

To our destruction, if there be in Hell 

Fear to be worse destroy'd. What can be worse 85 

Than to dwell here, driv'n out from bliss, condemn'd 

In this abhorred deep to utter woe, 

Where pain of unextinguishable fire 

Must exercise us without hope of end, 

The vassals of his anger, when the scourge 90 

Inexorably, and the tort'ring hour 

sixtieth to seventieth line. His preferring annihilation to shame or misery, 
is also highly suitable to his character : so the comfort he draws from their 
disturbing the peace of heaven — that if it be not victory it is revenge — is a 
sentiment truly diabolical, and becoming the bitterness of this implacable 
fiend. — A. 

69. Mix'd : Filled. Virg. ^En. ii. 487. 

74. Forgetful : Causing forgetfulness. An allusion is here made to Lethe, 
the River of Oblivion, one of the fabled streams of the infernal regions. 
Its waters possessed the quality of causing those who drank them to forget 
the whole of their former existence. This river is finely described by Mil- 
ton in this Second Book, (1. 583-586, 603-614.) 

83. Our stronger : Our superior in strength. 

89. Exercise: Torment. Virg. Georg. iv. 453. 



BOOK II. 



65 



Calls us to penance ? more destroy'd than thus, 

We should be quite abolish'd, and expire. 

What fear we then ? what doubt we to incense 

His utmost ire ? which to the height enraged 95 

Will either quite consume us, and reduce 

To nothing this essential, happier far 

Than mis'rable to have eternal being. 

Or if our substance be indeed divine, 

And cannot cease to be, we are at worst 100 

On this side nothing ; and by proof we feel 

Our pow'r sufficient to disturb his Heav'n, 

And with perpetual inroads to alarm, 

Though inaccessible, his fatal throne : 

Which, if not victory, is yet revenge. 105 

He ended frowning, and his look denounced 
Desp'rate revenge, and battle dangerous 
To less than Gods. On th' other side up rose 
Belial, in act more graceful and humane : 

A fairer person lost not Heav'n ; he seem'd 110 

For dignity composed and high exploit : 
But all was false and hollow, though his tongue 

92. By calling to penance, Milton seems to intimate, that the sufferings of 
the condemned spirits are not always equally severe. — S. 

97. Essential : The adjective for the substantive, essence, or existence. 

97-8. The sense is this : which (annihilation) is far happier than, in a 
condition of misery, to have eternal being. See Mat. xxvi. 24. Mark xiv. 21. 

100. At worst : In the worst possible condition. 

104. Fatal: Sustained by fate, (I. 133.) 

108. Gods, in the proper sense. See IX. 937, where gods are distin- 
guished from angels, who are called demi-gods. 

109. Belial, is described in the First Book as the idol of the lewd and 
luxurious. He is, in this Second Book, pursuant to that description, charac- 
terized as timorous and slothful ; and, if we look into the Sixth Book, we 
find him celebrated in the battle of the angels for nothing but that scoffing 
speech which he makes to Satan, on their supposed advantage over the 
enemy. As his appearance is uniform, and of a piece in these three several 
views, we find his sentiments in the infernal assembly every way conform- 
able to his character. Such are his apprehensions of a second battle, his 
horror of annihilation, his preferring to be miserable rather than ''not to be."' 

5 



66 PARADISE LOST. 

Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear 

The better reason, to perplex and dash 

Maturest counsels : for his thoughts were low ; 115 

To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds 

Tim'rous and slothful : yet he pleased the ear, 

And with persuasive accent thus began : 

I should be much for open war, Peers ! 
As not behind in hate, if what was urged 120 

Main reason to persuade immediate war, 
Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast 
Ominous conjecture on the whole success : 
When he who most excels in fact of arms, 
In what he counsels and in what excels 125 

Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair, 
And utter dissolution, as the scope 
Of all his aim, after some dire revenge. 
First, what revenge ? The tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd 
With armed watch, that render all access 130 

Impregnable ; oft on the bord'ring deep 
Encamp their legions, or with obscure wing 
Scout far and wide into the realms of night, 
Scorning surprise. Or could we break our way 
By force, and at our heels all hell should rise 135 

With blackest insurrection, to confound 
HeavVs purest light, yet our Great Enemy, 
All incorruptible, would on his throne 
Sit unpolluted, and th' ethereal mould 

Incapable of stain would soon expel 140 

Her mischief, and purge off the baser fire 

The contrast of thought in this speech, and that which precedes it, gives an 
agreeable variety to the debate. — A. 

113-14. Could make the worse appear the better reason : An exact translation 
of what the Greek sophists professed to accomplish. 

124. Fact : Deed of arms, battle. 

139. On his throne sit unpolluted : This is a reply to that part of Moloch's 
speech, where he had threatened to mix the throne itself, of God, with in- 
fernal sulphur and strange fire. — N. Mould : Substance, or form. 



BOOK II. 67 

Victorious. Thus repulsed, our final hope 

Is flat despair. We must exasperate 

Th' Almighty Victor to spend all his rage, 

And that must end -us ; that must be our cure, 145 

To be no more ? Sad cure ; for who would lose, 

Though full of pain, this intellectual being, 

Those thoughts that wander through eternity, 

To perish rather, swallow'd up and lost 

In the wide womb of uncreated night, 150 

Devoid of sense and motion ? And who knows, 

Let this be good, whether our angry Foe **' 

Can give it, or will ever ? How he can 

Is doubtful ; that he never will is sure. 

Will he, so wise, let loose at once his ire 155 

Belike through impotence, or unaware, iS 

To give his enemies their wish, and end 

Them in his anger, whom his anger saves 

To punish endless ? Wherefore cease we then P**^ 

Say they who counsel war, we are decreed, 160 

Reserved, and destined, to eternal woe : 

Whatever doing, what can we suffer more, 

What can we suffer worse ? Is this then worst, 

Thus sitting, thus consulting, thus in arms ? 

What when we fled amain, pursued and struck 165 

With HeavVs afflicting thunder, and besought 

The deep to shelter us ? This Hell then seem'd 

A refuge from those wounds : or when we lay 

Chain'd on the burning lake ? That sure was worse. 

What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, 170 

Awaked should blow them into sev'nfold rage, 

And plunge us in the flames ? Or from above 

Should intermitted vengeance arm again 

152. Let this be good : Grant that this is good. 
156. Belike: Perhaps. Impotence: Want of self-command. 
159. Wherefore cease, §c . : Why then should we cease to exist? What 
reason is there to expect annihilation? 
170. Is. xxx. 33. 



68 PARADISE LOST. 

His red right band to plague us ? What if all 

Her stores were open'd, and this firmament 175 

Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire, 

Impendent horrors, threat'ning hideous fall 

One day upon our heads ; while we perhaps 

Designing or exhorting glorious war, 

Caught in a fiery tempest, shall be hurl'd > 180 

Each on his rock, transfix'd, the sport and prey; 

Of wracking whirlwinds, or for ever sunk 

Under yon boiling ocean, wrapt in chains ; 

There to converse with everlasting groans, 

Unrespited, unpitied, uureprieved, 185 

Ages of hopeless end ? This would be worse. 

War therefore, open or conceal'd, alike 

My voice dissuades ; for what can force or guile 

With him, or who deceive his mind, whose eye 

Views all thing at one view ? He from Heav'n's height 190 

All these our motions vain, sees and derides : 

Not more almighty to resist our might 

Than wise to frustrate all our plots and wiles. 

Shall we then live thus vile, the race of Heav'n 

Thus trampled, thus expell'd, to suffer here 195 

Chains and these torments ? Better these than worse, 

By my advice : since fate inevitable 

Subdues us, and omnipotent decree, 

The Victor's will. To suffer, as to do, 

Our strength is equal ; nor the law unjust 200 

That so ordains. This was at first resolved, 

If we were wise, against so great a Foe 

180. See Note, Book I. 329. 

181. Virg. JEn. vi. 75, " rapidis ludibria ventis." 

188. Can: Can (accomplish). 

191. Allusion to Ps. ii. 4. 

199. To suffer, as to do : Scaevola boasted that he was a Roman, and knew 
as well how to suffer as to act. " Et facere et pati fortia Romanum est." — 
Livy ii. 12.— N. 

201. This ivas at first resolved : Our minds were made up at first to this. 



BOOK II. 69 

Contending, and so doubtful what might fall. 

I laugh, when those who at the spear are bold 

And vent'rous, if that fail them, shrink and fear 205 

What yet they know must fullow, to endure 

Exile or ignominy, or bonds, or pain, 

The sentence of their Conqu'ror. This is now 

Our doom ; which if we can sustain and bear, 

Our Supreme Foe in time may much remit 210 

His anger, and perhaps, thus far removed, 

Not mind us not offending, satisfy'd 

With what is punish 'd ; whence these raging fires 

Will slacken, if his breath stir not their flames. 

Our purer essence then will overcome 215 

Their noxious vapour, or inured not feel, 

Or changed at length, and to the place conform'd 

In temper and in nature, will receive / 

Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain ; 

This horror will grow mild, this darkness light, 220 

Besides what hope the never-ending flight 

Of future days may bring, what chance, what. change 

Worth waiting, since our present lot appears 

For happy though but ill, for ill not worst, 

If we procure not to ourselves more woe. 225 

Thus Belial, with words cloth 'd in reason's garb, 
Counsel'd ignoble ease and peaceful sloth, 
Not peace : and after him thus Mammon spake : 

218-19. Receive familiar : Receive as a matter made easy (by habit) . The 
same idea is uttered by Mammon, 1. 274-78 of this Book. 

223. Waiting: Waiting for. 

223-25. Since our present lot appears for (as) a happy one, though it is, 
indeed, but an ill one, for, though ill, it is not the worst, &c. 

228. Mammon: His character is so fully drawn in the First Book, that 
the poet adds nothing to it in the Second. We were before told that he was 
the first who taught mankind to ransack the earth for gold and silver ; and, 
that he was the architect of Pandemonium, or the infernal palace where 
the evil spirits were to meet in council. His speech, in this Book, is every 
way suitable to so depraved a character. How proper is that reflection of 
their being unable to taste the happiness of heaven, were they actually 



70 PARADISE LOST. 

Either to disenthrone the King of Heav'n 
We war, if war be best, or to regain 230 

Our own right lost : him to unthrone we then 
May hope, when everlasting Fate shall yield 
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the strife. 
The former vain to hope, argues as vain 

The latter ; for what place can be for us 235 

Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord Supreme 
We overpow'r ? Suppose he should relent, 
And publish grace to all, on promise made 
Of new subjection ; with what eyes could we 
Stand in his presence humble, and receive 240 

Strict laws imposed, to celebrate his throne 
With warbled hymns, and to his Godhead sing 
Forced hallelujahs, while he lordly sits 
Our envied Sovereign, and his altar breathes 
Ambrosial odours and ambrosial flow'rs, 245 

Our servile offerings ? This must be our task 
In Heav'n, this our delight. How wearisome 
Eternity so spent in worship paid 
To whom we hate ! Let us not then pursue 
By force impossible, by leave obtain'd 250 

Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our state 
Of splendid vassalage ; but rather seek 
Our own good from ourselves, and from our own 
Live to ourselves, though in this vast recess, 
Free, and to none accountable, preferring 255 

Hard liberty before the easy yoke 

there, in the mouth of one who, while he was in heaven, is said to have had 
his mind dazzled with the outward pomps and glories of the place, and to 
have been more intent on the riches of the pavement than on the beatific 
vision. The sentiments uttered in lines 262-273 are admirably charac- 
teristic of the same being. — A. 

233. The strife: Between the King of Heaven and us, not between Fate 
and Chance. — Pearce. 

244. Breathes : Throws out the smell of, &c. See IV. 265. 

250. By force, <§r. : What is impossible to attain by force, what is unaccept- 
able if obtained by permission. 



BOOK II. 71 

Of servile pomp. Our greatness will appear 

Then most conspicuous, when great things of small, 

Useful of hurtful, prosp'rous of adverse, 

We can create, and in what place soe'er, 260 

Thrive under evil, and work ease out of pain 

Through labour and endurance. This deep world 

Of darkness do we dread ? How oft amidst 

Thick clouds and dark doth Heav'n's all-ruling Sire 

Choose to reside, his glory unobscured, 265 

And with the majesty of darkness round 

Covers his throne ; from whence deep thunders roar, 

Must'ring their rage, and Heav'n resembles Hell ? 

As he our darkness, cannot we his light 

Imitate when we please ? This desert soil 270 

Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold ; 

Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise 

Magnificence : and what can Heav'n shew more ? 

Our torments also may in length of time 

Become our elements ; these piercing fires 275 

As soft as now severe, our temper changed ' 

Into their temper ; which must needs remove 

The sensible of pain. All things invite 

To peaceful counsels, and the settled state 

Of order, how in safety best we may 280 

Compose our present evils, with regard 

Of what we are and where, dismissing quite 

All thoughts of war. Ye have what I advise. 

He scarce had finish'd, when such murmur fill'd 
Th' assembly, as when hollow rocks retain 285 

The sound of blust'ring winds, which all night long 
Had roused the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull 
Seafaring men o'erwatch'd, whose bark by chance 
Or pinnace anchors in a craggy bay 

263-8. The imagery of this passage is drawn from Ps. xviii. 11,13; xcvii. 2. 

278. The sensible of pain : The feeling, the sensation of pain. 

279. These speeches are wonderfully fine ; but the question is changed in 
the course of the debate. — N. 



72 PARADISE LOST. 

After the tempest. Such applause was heard 290 

As Mammon ended, and his sentence pleased, 

Advising peace ; for such another field 

They dreaded worse than Hell : so much the fear 

Of thunder and the sword of Michael 

Wrought still within them ; and no less desire 295 

To found this nether empire, which might rise 

By policy and long process of time, 

In emulation opposite to Heav'n : 

Which when Beelzebub perceived, than whom, 

Satan except, none higher sat, with grave 300 

Aspect he rose, and in his rising seem'd 

A pillar of state : deep on his front engraven 

Deliberation sat and public care ; 

And princely counsel in his face yet shone, 

Majestic though in ruin : sage he stood, 305 

With Atlantean shoulders fit to bear 

294. Michael: A holy angel, who, in the Book of Daniel, chap. x. 3-21, 
is represented as having charge of the Jewish nation ; and, in the book of 
Jude, verse 9, as contending with Satan about the body of Moses. His name 
is introduced also in Rev. xii. 7-9. 

296. Nether: Lower. 

299. Beelzebub : This evil spirit, who is reckoned the second in dignity 
that fell, and is, in the First Book, the second that awakes out of the trance, 
and confers with Satan upon the situation of their affairs, maintains his rank 
in the Book now before us. There is a wonderful majesty exhibited in his 
rising up to speak. He acts as a kind of moderator between the two oppo- 
site parties, and proposes a third undertaking, which the whole assembly 
approves. The motion he makes to detach one of their body in search of a 
new world, is grounded uopn a project devised by Satan, and cursorily pro- 
posed by him, in the First Book, 650-660. 

It is on this project that Beelzebub grounds his proposal — 

"What, if we find." &c. 

Book II. 344-353. 

It may be observed how just it was, not to omit in the First Book, the 
project upon which the whole poem turns ; as, also, that the prince of the 
fallen angels was the only proper person to give it birth, and that the next 
to him in dignity was the fittest to second and support it. 

306. Atlantean: An allusion to King Atlas, who, according to ancient 
mythology, was changed into a mountain on the northern coast of Africa, 
which, from its groat height, was represented as supportins the atmosphere. 



The weight of mightiest monarchies ; his look 

Drew audience and attention still as night 

Or summer's noon-tide air, while thus he spake : 

Thrones and Imperial Powers, Offspring of Heav'n 310 

Ethereal Virtues ; or these titles now 
Must we renounce, and changing style be call'd 
Princes of Hell ? for so the popular vote 
Inclines here to continue, and build up here 
A growing empire ; doubtless, while we dream, 315 

And know not that the King of Heav'n hath dooni'd 
This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat 
Beyond his potent arm, to live exempt 
From Heav'n 's high jurisdiction, in new league 
Banded against his throne, but to remain 320 

In strictest bondage, though thus far removed, 
Under th' inevitable curb, reserved 
His captive multitude : for he, be sure, 
In height or depth, still first and last will reign 
Sole King, and of his kingdom lose no part 325 

By our revolt ; but over Hell extend 
His empire, and with iron sceptre rule 
Us here, as with his golden those in Heav'n. 
What sit we then projecting peace and war ? 
"War hath determined us, and foil'd with loss 330 

Irreparable : terms of peace yet none 
Vouchsafed or sought : for what peace will be giv'n 
To us enslaved, but custody severe, 
And stripes and arbitrary punishment 

Inflicted ? And what peace can we return, 335 

But to our power hostility and hate, 
Untamed reluctance, and revenge though slow, 
Yet ever plotting how the Conqu'ror least 
May reap his conquest, and may least rejoice 

329. What : For what ? or, why ? 

336. But to : But according to. The word but in this line, and in line 333, 
is used with a poetic freedom, somewhat as the word except is employed in 
fine 678. 



74 PARADISE LOST. 

Jn doing what we most in suff'ring feel ? 340 

Nor will occasion want, nor shall we need 

With dang'rous expedition to invade 

Heav'n, whose high walls fear no assault or siege, 

Or ambush from the deep. What if we find 

Some easier enterprise ? There is a place, 345 

(If ancient and prophetic fame in Heav'n 

Err not) another world, the happy seat 

Of some new race call'd Man, about this time 

To be created like to us, though less 

In pow'r and excellence, but favour'd more 350 

Of Him who rules above ; so was his will 

Pronounced among the Gods, and by an oath, 

That shook Heav'n's whole circumference, confirm 'd. 

Thither let us bend all our thoughts, to learn 

What creatures there inhabit, of what mould 355 

Or substance, how endued, and what their pow'r, 

And where their weakness ; how attempted best, 

By force or subtlety. Though Heav'n be shut, 

And Heav'n's high Arbitrator sit secure 

In his own strength, this place may lie exposed 360 

The utmost border of his kingdom, left 

To their defence who hold it. Here perhaps 

346. Fame in Heaven : There is something wonderfully beautiful, and very 
apt to affect the reader's imagination, in this ancient prophecy, or report in 
Heaven, concerning the creation of man. Nothing could better show the 
dignity of the species, than this tradition respecting them before their exist- 
ence. They are represented to have been the talk of Heaven before they 
were created. — A. 

352. Heb. vi. 17. An allusion, also, to Jupiter's oath. Virg. JEn. ix. 
104, Horn. Iliad, i. 528. 

360. It has been objected that there is a contradiction between this part 
of Beelzebub's speech and what he says afterwards, speaking of the same 
thing ; but, in reply, it may be observed, that his design is different in these 
different speeches. In the former, where he is encouraging the assembly to 
undertake an expedition against this world, he says things to lessen the diffi- 
culty and danger ; but in the latter, when they are seeking a proper person 
to perform it, he says things to magnify the danger, in order to make them 
more cautious in their choice. — N. 



BOOK II. 75 

Some advantageous act may be achieved 

By sudden onset, either with Hell fire 

To waste his whole creation, or possess 365 

All as our own, and' drive, as we were driv'n, 

The puny habitants ; or if not drive, 

Seduce them to our party, that their God 

May prove their Foe, and with repenting hand 

Abolish his own works. This would surpass 370 

Common revenge, and interrupt his joy 

In our confusion, and our joy upraise 

In his disturbance ; when his darling sons, 

Hurl'd headlong to partake with us, shall curse 

Their frail original and faded bliss, 375 

Faded so soon. Advise if this be worth 

Attempting, or to sit in darkness here 

Hatching vain empires. Thus Beelzebub 

Pleaded his dev'lish counsel, first devised 

By Satan, and in part proposed : for whence, 380 

But from the author of all ill, could spring 

So deep a malice, to confound the race 

Of mankind in one root, and Earth with Hell 

To mingle and involve, done all to spite 

The great Creator ? But their spite still serves 385 

His glory to augment. The bold design 

Pleased highly those infernal States, and joy 

Sparkled in all their eyes. With full assent 

They vote ; whereat his speech he thus renews : 

Well have ye judged, well ended long debate, 390 

Synod of Gods, and like to what ye are, 
Great things resolved, which from the lowest deep 
Will once more lift us up, in spite of fate, 
Nearer our ancient seat ; perhaps in view 
Of those bright confines, whence with neighb'ring arms 395 

367. Puny: Newly-created; derived from the French expression, puis n<5, 
born since. The idea of feebleness is involved. 
382. Confound : Overthrow, destroy. 
393. Fate : The decree of God. 



76 PARADISE LOST. 

And opportune excursion, we may chance 
Re-enter Heav'n ; or else in some mild zone 
Dwell not unvisited of Heav'n 's fair light 
Secure, and at the bright'ning orient beam 
Purge off this gloom : the soft delicious air, 400 

To heal the scar of these corrosive fires, 
Shall breathe her balm. But first, whom shall we send 
In search of this new world ? whom shall we find 
Sufficient ? who shall 'tempt with wand'ring feet 
The dark unbottom'd infinite abyss, 405 

And through the palpable obscure find out 
His uncouth way, or spread his aery flight, 
Upborne with indefatigable wings 
Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive 

The happy isle ? What strength, what art, can then 410 

Suffice, or what evasion bear him safe 
Through the strict senteries and stations thick 
Of Angels watching round ? Here he had need 
All circumspection, and we now no less 

Choice in our suffrage ; for on whom we send, 415 

The weight of all and our last hope relies. 
This said, he sat ; and expectation held 
His look suspense, awaiting who appear 'd 
To second or oppose, or undertake 

The perilous attempt : but all sate mute 420 

Pond'ring the danger with deep thoughts ; and each 
In other's count'nance read his own dismay 

404. 'Tempt: Try. 

405. Obscure : Obscurity, an adjective being used for a substantive. 

409. Jlrrive: Arrive at. 

410. Isle: The earth is so called because surrounded by an atmospheric 
«ea ; or, perhaps, because swimming in space. 

412. Had need: Would need, as in the phrase "You had better go." The 
meaning is, " You would better go" — " It would be better for you to go." 

414. All: The greatest. 

41. r ). Choice: Judgment or care in choosing. 

417. Expectation is hire personified. His looks suspense means, His coun- 
tenance in a fixed, serious position. Compare Virg. JEn. ii. 1. 



BOOK II. 77 

Astonish'd. None among the choice and prime 

Of those Heav'n-warring champions could be found 

So hardy as to proffer or accept 425 

Alone the dreadful voyage ; till at last 

Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised 

Above his fellows, with monarchal pride, 

Conscious of highest worth, unmoved, thus spake : 

Progeny of Heav'n, empyreal Thrones, 430 

With reason hath deep silence and demur 
Seized us, though undismay'd : long is the way 
And hard that out of Hell leads up to light ; 
Our prison strong ; this huge convex of fire, 
Outrageous to devour, immures us round 435 

Ninefold, and gates of burning adamant 
Barr'd over us prohibit all egress. 
These pass'd if any pass, the void profound 
Of unessential Night receives him next 

Wide gaping, and with utter loss of being 440 

Threatens him, plunged in that abortive gulf, 
If thence he 'scape into whatever world, 
Or unknown region, what remains him less 
Than unknown dangers, and as hard escape ? 
But I should ill-become this throne, Peers, 445 

And this imperial sov'reignty, adorn'd 
With splendour, arm'd with pow'r, if aught propos'd 
And judged of public moment, in the shape 
Of difficulty or danger, could deter 
Me from attempting. Wherefore do I assume 450 

429. Unmoved : That is, by the dangers in view. 

431. Demur: Suspense. 

434. Convex : Vault of fire, bending down on all sides around us. The 
word properly denotes the exterior surface of a globe, and concave the interior, 
but the poets use them promiscuously, as here. What is here called convex 
is called concave in line 635. 

436. Virg. JEn. vi. 439, 552. 

439. Unessential : Unsubstantial, void of materiality. 

445-466. An imitation of one of the noblest speeches in the Iliad, xii. 
310, &c. : but a great improvement upon it. 



Y<5 PARADISE LOST. 

These royalties, and not refuse to reign, 

Refusing to accept as great a share 

Of hazard as of honour ; due alike 

To him who reigns, and so much to him due 

Of hazard more, as he above the rest 455 

High honourd sits ? Go, therefore, mighty Powers, 

Terror of Heav'n, though fall'n ; intend at home, 

"While here shall be our home, what best may ease 

The present misery, and render Hell 

More tolerable ; if there be cure or charm 460 

To respite, or deceive, or slack the pain 

Of this ill mansion ; intermit no watch 

Against a wakeful foe, while I abroad 

Through all the coasts of dark destruction, seek 

Deliv'rance for us all. This enterprise 465 

None shall partake with me. Thus saying rose 

The Monarch, and prevented all reply, 

Prudent, lest from his resolution raised, 

Others among the chief might offer now 

(Certain to be refused) what erst they fear'd : 470 

And so refused might in opinion stand 

His rivals, winning cheap the high repute 

Which he through hazard huge must earn. But they 

Dreaded not more th' adventure than his voice 

Forbidding ; and at once with him they rose ; 475 

Their rising all at once was as the sound 

Of thunder heard remote. Tow'rds him they bend 

With awful rev'rence prone ; and as a God 

Extol him equal to the High'st in Heav'n : 

Nor fail'd they to express how much they praised, 480 

That for the gen'ral safety he despised 

His own : for neither do the Spirits damn'd 

Lose all their virtue : lest bad men should boast 

457. Intend : Regard, deliberate upon. 
470. Erst : At first. 

4S2. For neither, #e. : This seems to have been a sarcasm on the bad men 
•f Milton's time.— E. B. 



BOOK II. 79 

Their specious deeds on earth, -which glory excites, 

Or close ambition, varnish 'd o'er with zeal. 4S5 

Thus they their doubtful consultations dark 

Ended, rejoicing in their matchless chief: 

As when from mountain-tops the dusky clouds 

Ascending, while the north wind sleeps, o'erspread 

Heav'n's cheerful face, the low'ring element 4'J'O 

Scowls o'er the darken'd landscape snow, or show'r ; 

If chance the radiant Sun with farewell sweet 

Extend his ev'ning beam, the fields revive, 

The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds 

Attest their joy, that hill and valley rings. 495 

shame to men ! Devil with Devil damn'd 

Firm concord holds, men only disagree 

Of creatures rational, though under hope 

Of heav'nly grace : and God proclaiming peace, 

Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife 500 

Among themselves, and levy cruel wars, 

Wasting the earth, each other to destroy ; 

As if (which might induce us to accord) 

Man had not hellish foes enough besides, 

483. Lest : Before this word supply, or understand, " this remark is 
made." 

485. Milton intimates above, that the fallen and degraded state of man, or 
his individual vice, is not at all disproved by some of his external actions 
not appearing totally base. The commentators should have observed, in ex- 
plaining this passage, that the whole grand mystery on which the poem de- 
pends, is the first fearful spiritual alienation of Satan from God, the only 
fountain of truth and all real positive good ; and that, when thus separated, 
whether the spirit be that of man or devil, it may perform actions fair in 
appearance, but not essentially good, because springing from no fixed prii - 
ciple of good. — S. 

489. While the north wind sleeps: A simile of perfect beauty: it illus- 
trates the delightful feeling resulting from the contrast of the stormy debate 
with the light that seems subsequently to break in upon the assembly. — 
E. B. 

491. Scowls: Drives in a frowning manner. 

496. shame to men : The reflections of the poet here are of great prac- 
tical wisdom and importance. They were suggested, probably, by the civil 
commotions and animosities of his own times. 



80 PARADISE LOST. 

That day and night for his destruction wait. 505 

The Stygian council thus dissolved ; and forth 
In order came the grand infernal peers : 
'Midst came their mighty Paramount, and seem'd 
Alone th' antagonist of Heav'n, nor less 

Than Hell's dread emperor with pomp supreme, 510 

And God-like imitated state ; him round 
A globe of fiery Seraphim inclosed 
With bright emblazonry, and horrent arms. 
Then of their session ended they bid cry 

With trumpets' regal sound the great result : 515 

Tow'rds the four winds four speedy Cherubim 
Put to their mouths the sounding alchemy 
By herald's voice explain'd ; the hollow abyss 
Heard far and wide, and all the host of Hell 
With deaf'ning shout return'd them loud acclaim. 520 

Thence more at ease their minds, and somewhat raised 
By false presumptuous hope, the ranged Pow'rs 
Disband, and wand'ring, each his sev'ral way 
Pursues, as inclination or sad choice 

Leads him perplex'd, where he may likeliest find 525 

Truce to his restless thoughts, and entertain 
The irksome hours till his great chief return. 
Part on the plain, or in the air sublime, 

507. Stygian : An epithet derived from Styx, the name of a distinguished 
river in the infernal regions, according to the Pagan mythology ; it here 
means the same as the word infernal. 

512. Globe : A body of men formed into a circle. Virgil (JEn. x. 373) 
uses a similar expression : " Qua globus ille virum densissimus urguef." 

513. That is, with glittering ensigns, and bristled arms, or arms with 
points standing outward. The word horrent was, probably, suggested by 
'' horrentia Martis arma," of the yEneid, book i., or by the "horrentibus 
hastis" of JEn. x. 178. 

517. Mchemy: An alloy or mixed metal, out of which the trumpets were 
made : here, by metonymy denotes trumpets. 

528. Part on the plain, $c. : The diversions of the fallen angels, with the 
particular account of their place of habitation, are described with great 
pregnancy of thought and copiousness of invention. The diversions are 



BOOK II. 81 

Upon the wing, or in swift race contend, 

As at tli' Olympian games or Pythian fields, 530 

Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal 

With rapid wheels,, or fronted brigades form, 

As when to warn proud cities war appears 

Waged in the troubled sky, and armies rush 

To battle in the clouds, before each van 535 

Prick forth the airy knights, and couch their spears 

Till thickest legions close ; with feats of arms 

From either end of Heav'n the welkin burns. 

Others, with vast Typhoean rage more fell, 

Rend up both rocks and hills, \md ride the air 540 

In whirlwind ; Hell scarce holds the wild uproar. 

As when Alcides, from Oechalia crown'd 

With conquest, felt th' envenom'd robe, and tore 

every way suitable to beings who had nothing left them but strength and 
knowledge misapplied. Such are t-heir contentions at the race, and in feats 
of arms, with their entertainment, described in lines 539-541, &c. — A. 
Compare Ovid, Met. iv. 445. 

529-30. These warlike diversions of the fallen angels, seem to be copied 
from the military exercises of the Myrmidons during the absence of their 
chief from the war. — Horn. Iliad, ii. 774, &c. See also JEn. vi. 64. 
531. Rapid wheels: Hor. Ode i. 1 : 4, "Metaque fervidis evitata rotis." 
536. Couch their spears : Put them in a posture for attack : put them in 
their rests. 

538. Welkin: Atmosphere. 

539. Typhcean : Gigantic, from Typhosus, one of the giants of Pagan my- 
thology, that fought against Heaven. 

542. Alcides : A name of Hercules, from a word signifying strength. He 
was a celebrated hero, who received, after death, divine honours. Having 
killed the King of OEchalia, in Greece, and led away his beautiful daughter 
Iole, as a captive, he raised an altai to Jupiter, and sent off for a splendid 
robe to wear when he should offer a sacrifice. Deianira, in a fit of jealousy, 
before sending the robe, tinged it with a certain poisonous preparation. Her- 
cules soon found that the robe was consuming his flesh, and adhered so 
closely to his skin, that it could not be separated. In the agony of the mo- 
ment,^he seized Lichas, the bearer of the robe, by the foot, and hurled him 
from the top of Mount (Eta, into the sea. This name is given to a chain of 
mountains in Thessaly, the eastern extremity of which, in conjunction with 
' the sea, formed the celebrated pass of Thermopylae. 
6 



82 PARADISE LOST. 

Through pain up by the roots Thessalian pines, 

And Lichas from the top of Oeta threw 545 

Into th' Euboic sea. Others more mild, 

Retreated in a silent valley, sing 

With notes angelical to many a harp 

Their own heroic deeds and hapless fall 

By doom of battle ; and complain that Fate 550 

Free virtue should inthrall to force or chance. 

Their song was partial, but the harmony 

(What could it less when Spirits immortal sing ?) 

Suspended Hell, and took with ravishment 

The thronging audience. In discourse more sweet 555 

(For eloquence the soul, song charms the sense) 

Others apart sat on a hill retired, 

In thoughts more elevate, and reason'd high 

Of providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate, 

Fix'd fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute, 560 

And found no end, in wand'ring mazes lost 

Of good and evil much they argued then, 

Of happiness and final misery, 

Passion and apathy, glory and shame, 

Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy : 565 

547. Sing, fyc. : Their music is employed in celebrating their own crimi- 
nal exploits, and their discourse in sounding the unfathomable depths of fate, 
free-will, and foreknowledge. — A. 

552. Partial: Too favourable to themselves. Or the word may express 
this idea . Confined to few and inferior topics — those relating to war. 

554. Suspended Hell : The effect of their singing is somewhat like that 
of Orpheus in Hell. Virg. Geor. iv. 481. — N. 

556. Eloquence, <§r. : The preference is here given to intellect above the 
pleasures of the senses. — E. B. 

557. Apart : Hor. Ode ii. 13 : 23, 

" Sedesque discrelas piorum." 

563. Good and evil, and de finibus bonorum et malorum, &c, were more 
particularly the subjects of disputation among the philosophers and sophists 
of old; as providence, free-will, &c, were among the school-men and divines 
of later times, especially upon the introduction of the free notions of Ar- 
minius upon these subjects ; and our author shows herein what an opinion 
he had of all books and learning of this kind. — N. 



BOOK II. 83 

Yet with a pleasing sorcery could cliarm 

Pain for a while, or anguish, and excite 

Fallacious hope, or arm th' obdured breast 

With stubborn patience as with triple steel. 

Another part in squadrons and gross bands, 570 

On bold adventure to discover wide 

That dismal world, if any clime perhaps 

Might yield them easier habitation, bend 

Four ways their flying march, along the banks 

Of four infernal rivers, that disgorge 575 

Into the burning lake their baleful streams ; 

Abhorred Styx, the flood of deadly hate ; 

Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep ; 

566. Charm : Allay, beguile. 

569. Triple : Hor. Ode i. 3 : 9. 

" Mi robur, et <es triplex, 
Circa pectus erat." 

575-591. Four infernal rivers, <§x. : The several circumstances in the de- 
scription of Hell, are finely imagined ; as the four rivers which disgorge 
themselves into the sea of fire, the extremes of cold and heat, and the river 
of Oblivion. The monstrous animals produced in that infernal world, are re- 
presented by a single line, which gives us a more horrid idea of them than 
a much longer description would have done : 

" Nature breeds 
Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things." &c. 

This episode of the fallen spirits and their place of habitation, comes 
in very happily to unbend the mind of the reader from its attention to the 
debate. — A. 

577-614. Abhorred Styx, §c. : The Greeks reckon up five rivers in Hell, 
and call them after the names of the noxious springs and rivers in their own 
country. Our poet follows their example both as to the number and the 
names of these infernal rivers, and excellently describes their nature and 
properties, with the explanation of their names. As to the situation of 
these rivers, Milton does not confine himself to the statements of Greek 
or Latin poets, but draws out a new map of these rivers. He supposes a 
burning lake, agreeably to Scripture ; and into this lake he makes these four 
rivers to flow from different directions, which gives us a greater idea than 
any of the heathen poets have furnished. The river of Oblivion is rightly 
placed far off from the rivers of Hatred, Sorrow, Lamentation, and Rage ; and 
divides the frozen continent from the region of fire, and, thereby, completes 
the map of Hell with its general divisions. — N. 



84 PARADISE LOST. 

Cocytus, named of lamentation loud 

Heard on the rueful stream ; fierce Phlegethon, 580 

Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. 

Far off from these a slow and silent stream, 

Lethe, the river of oblivion, rolls 

Her wat'ry labyrinth ; whereof who drinks, 

Forthwith his former state and being forgets, 585 

Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain. 

Beyond this flood a frozen continent 

Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms 

Of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land 

Thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin seems 590 

Of ancient pile ; all else deep snow and ice 

A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog 

Betwixt Damiata and Mount Casius old, 

Where armies whole have sunk : the parching air 

Burns frore, and cold performs th' effect of fire. 595 

Thither, by harpy-footed furies haled, 

At certain revolutions, all the damn'd 

Are brought : and feel by turns the bitter change 

Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce, 

From beds of raging fire to starve in ice 600 

589. Dire hail : Compare Horace, Ode ii., Dirce grandinis. 

590. Gathers heap : Accumulates. 

592. Serbonian bog : A morass between Egypt and Palestine, near Mount 
Casius. The loose sand of the adjacent country sometimes covered it to 
such an extent as to give it the appearance of firm land. 

594. Parching : Scorching, drying. Burns frore : Burns frosty, or with frost. 
Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21, "When the cold north wind bloweth, it devoureth the 
mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire." 
Newton also refers us to the old English and Septuagint translations of Ps. 
exxi. 6: "The sun shall not burn thee by day, nor the moon by night." 
The same idea is introduced in Virgil, Georg. i. 93. 

" rapidive potentia solis 

Acrior, aut Bortte penctrabile frigus adurat." 

This passage may have been in the mind of Milton, as it ascribes a scorch- 
ing, drying, or parching influence alike to the vehement sun and to the pene- 
trating cold of the north wind. 

600. Starve : Kill with cold ; a sense common in England, but not used in 
this country. 



BOOK II. 85 

Their soft ethereal warmth, and there to pine 

Immoveable, infix'd, and frozen round, 

Periods of time, thence hurried back to fire. 

They ferry over this Lethean sound 

Both to and fro, their sorrow to augment, 605 

And wish and struggle, as they pass, to reach 

The tempting stream, with one small drop to lose 

In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe, 

All in one moment, and so near the brink ; 

But fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt 610 

Medusa with Gorgonian terror guards 

The ford, and of itself the water flies 

All taste of living wight, as once it fled 

The lip of Tantalus. Thus roving on 

In coufused march forlorn, th' advent'rous bands 615 

With shudd'ring horror pale, and eyes aghast, 

View'd first their lamentable lot, and found 

No rest. Through many a dark and dreary vale 

They pass'd, and many a region dolorous, 

603. Thence hurried, fyc. : This circumstance of the damned's suffering the 
extremes of heat and cold by turns, is finely invented to aggravate the horror 
of the description, and seems to be founded on Job, xxiv. 19, in the Latin 
version, which Milton frequently used. " Ad nimium calorem transeat ab 
aquis nivium." So Jerome and other commentators understand it. — N. 

608. This is a fine allegory, designed to show that there is no forgetfulness 
in Hell. Memory makes a part of the punishment oi the damned, and the 
reflection but increases their misery. — N. 

611. Medusa: A fabulous being, who had two sisters. The three were 
called Gorgons, from their terrible aspect which turned the beholder into 
stone. The upper part of the body and the head, according to the fable, re- 
sembled those of a woman ; the lower part was like a serpent. 

C14. Tantalus: A Grecian prince, who, for cruelty to his son, was con- 
demned to perpetual hunger and thirst in hell. The English word tantalize 
is derived from this story, which is adapted, if not designed, to show that 
there is no forgetfulness in Hell, but that memory and reflection torture its 
inhabitants. 

618-22. By words we have it in our power (says Burke) to make such 
combinations as we cannot possibly make otherwise. By this power of com- 
bining, we are able, by the addition of well-chosen circumstances, to give a 



86 PARADISE LOST. 

O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp, 620 

Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death, 

A universe of death, which God by curse 

Created evil, for evil only good, 

Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds, 

Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things, 625 

Abominable, iuutterable, and worse 

Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceived, 

Gorgons and Hydras, and Chimeras dire. 

new rife and force to the simple object. The words rocks, caves, &c, would 
lose the greatest part of the effect if they were not the 

" Rocks, caves, lakes, dens, bogs, fens, and shades of death." 
and the idea, caused by a word, which nothing but a word could annex to the 
others, raises a very great degree of the sublime ; which is raised yet higher 
by what follows, a universe of death. 

620. Milton's Hell is the most fantastic piece of fancy, based on the broad- 
est superstructure of imagination. It presents such a scene as though Switzer- 
land were set on fire. Such an uneven, colossal region, full of bogs, caves, hol- 
low valleys, broad lakes and towering Alps, has Milton's genius cut out from 
Chaos, and wrapped in devouring flames, leaving, indeed, here and there a 
snowy mountain, or a frozen lake, for a variety in the horror. This wilder- 
ness of death is the platform which imagination raises and peoples with the 
fallen thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, and powers. On it the same 
poem, in its playful fanciful mood, piles up the pandemonian palace, suggests 
the trick by which the giant fiends reduce their stature, shrinking into imps, 
and seats at the gates of Hell the monstrous forms of Sin and Death. These 
have often been objected to, as if they were unsuccessful and abortional ef- 
forts of imagination, whereas they are the curvettings and magnificent non- 
sense of that power after its proper work, the creation of Hell, has been 
performed. The great (literary) merit of Milton's Hell, especially as com- 
pared to Dante's, is the union of a general sublime indistinctness, with a cleai 
statuesque marking out from, or painting on, the gloom, of individual forms. 
The one describes Hell like an angel passing through it in haste, and with 
time only to behold its leading outlines and figures ; the other, like a pilgrim, 
compelled with slow and painful steps, to thread all its high- ways and by- 
ways of pain and punishment. — Gilfillan. 

623. Good: Adapted. 

628. Hydra : A fabled monster serpent in the marsh of Lemnos in the Pelo- 
ponnesus, which had many heads, and those when cut off, were immediately 
replaced by others. Chimera : A fabulous monster, vomiting flames, having 
the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and tail of a serpent. Hence the term 
is now applied to anything self-contradictory or absurd — to a mere creature 
of the imagination. 



BOOK II. 87 

Meanwhile the adversary of God and Man, 
Satan, with thoughts inflamed of high'st design, 630 

Puts on swift wings, and tow'rds the gates of Hell 
Explores his solitary flight. Sometimes 
He scours the right hand coast, sometimes the left, 
Now shaves with level wing the deep, then soars 

to the fiery concave tow'ring high. 635 

As when far off at sea a fleet descry'd to ( 

Hangs in the clouds, by equinoctial winds 
Close sailing from Bengala, or the isles 
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring 
Their spicy drugs ; they on the trading flood 640 

Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape 
Ply stemming nightly tow'rd the pole. So seem'd 
Far off the flying Fiend : at last appear 
Hell bounds, high reaching to the horrid roof, 
And thrice threefold the gates ; three folds were brass, 
Three iron, three of adamantine rock, 645 

Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire, 
Yet unconsumed. Before the gates there sat 

636. As when, <§r. : Satan, towering high, is here compared to a fleet of 
Jndiamen discovered at a distance, as it were, hanging in the clouds, as a fleet 
at a distance seems to do. Dr. Bentley asks, why a fleet when a first-rate 
man-of-war would do? Dr. Pearce answers, Because a fleet gives a nobler 
image than a single ship ; and it is a fleet of Indiamen, because, coming from 
so long a voyage, it is the fitter to be compared to Satan in this expedition. 
The equinoctial are the trade winds. The fleet is described as close sailing, 
and is therefore more proper to be compared to a single person. — N. 

Dr. Pearce observes that Milton in his similitudes (as is the practice of 
Homer and Virgil too) , after he has shown the common resemblance (as here 
in line 637) , often takes the liberty of wandering into some unre*embling 
circumstances ; which have no other relation to the comparison than that it 
gave him the hint, and, as it were, set fire to the train of his imagination. 

638-41. Bengala: Bengal. Ternate and Tidore: Spice islands east of Bor- 
neo. Ethiopian : Indian ocean. Cape : Of Good Hope. 

642. By night they sail towards the north pole. 

644. Hell bounds : The boundaries of Hell. 

647. Empaled: Paled in, enclosed. The old romances frequently speak 
of enchanted castles being empaled with circling fire. — T. 

648. The allegory that follows is a poetic paraphrase upon James i. 15. 



88 PARADISE LOST. 

On either side a formidable shape ; 

The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair, 650 

But ended foul in many a scaly fold 

Voluminous and vast, a serpent arm'd 

With mortal sting : about her middle round 

A cry of Hell-hounds never ceasing, bark'd 

With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung 655 

" Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is 
finished, bringeth forth death." 

649. The picture of Sin here given, may have been suggested by a line in 
Horace. — See Art. Poet. 4 : 

'• Desinit in piscem mulier formosa superne." 
Or, Milton may have been indebted, in part, to Spenser's description of Error. 
" Half like a serpent horribly displayed, 
But th' other half did woman's shape retain," &c. 

Hesiod's Echidna is also described as half woman, and half serpent. — 
Theog. 298. The mention of the Hell-hounds about her middle, Milton has 
drawn from the fable of Scylla (660) . 

649. On either side, fyc. : The allegory concerning Sin and Death is a very 
finished piece, of its kind, though liable to objection when considered as a 
part of an epic poem. The genealogy of the several persons is contrived 
with great delicacy. Sin is the daughter of Satan, and Death the offspring 
of Sin. The incestuous mixture between Sin and Death, produces those 
monsters and Hell-hounds which, from time to time, enter into the mother 
and tear the bowels of her who gave them birth. These are the terrors of 
an evil conscience, and the proper fruits of sin, which naturally arise from 
the apprehension of death. This is clearly intimated in the speech of Sin. 

Addison further calls our attention to the justness of thought which is 
observed in the generation of these several symbolical persons ; that Sin was 
produced upon the first revolt of Satan — that Death appeared soon after he 
was cast into Hell, and, that the terrors of conscience were conceived at the 
gate of this place of torment. 

" This," says Stebbing, " is one of the most sublime passages in the poem. 
\ddison is generally ingenious in his criticisms, but not elevated; and when 
he objected to Milton's having introduced an allegory, he shows that he was 
incapable of entering into the magnificent conceptions of his author. Sin 
and Death are not allegorical beings in Paradise Lost ; but real and active 
existences. They would have been allegorical, speaking or contending 
among men, but are not so in an abode of spirits, and addressing the Prince 
of Darkness. See James i. 15." 

These remarks are a sufficient answer, also, to Dr. Johnson's objections. 

655. Cerberean motdhs : Mouths like those of the fabled infernal god Cer- 



BOOK II. 



89 



A hideous peal : yet, when they list, would creep, 

If aught disturb'd their noise, into her womb, 

And kennel there, yet there still bark'd and howl'd 

Within unseen. Far less abhorr'd than these 

Vex'd Scylla, bathing in the sea that parts 660 

Calabria from the hoarse Trinacrian shore ; 

Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when call'd 

In secret, riding through the air she comes, 

Lured with the smell of infant blood, to dance 

With Lapland witches, while the lab'ring moon 665 

Eclipses at their charms. The other shape, 

If shape it might be call'd that shape had none 

Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb, 

Or substance might be call'd that shadow seem'd, 

For each seem'd either ; black it stood as Night, 670 

berus, who possessed three heads, and guarded the entrance in Tartarus, to 
prevent the escape of the condemned. 

660. Scylla : Scylla and Charybdis are the names, the former of a rock on 
the Italian shore, in the strait between Sicily and the main land; and the 
latter of a whirlpool, or strong eddy, over against it on the Sicilian side. 
The ancients connected a fabulous story with each name. Scylla was origin- 
ally a beautiful woman, but was changed by Circe into a monster, the 
parts below her waist becoming a number of dogs, incessantly barking 
while she had twelve feet and hands, and six heads, with three rows of 
teeth. Terrified at this metamorphosis, she threw herself into the sea, and 
was cnanged into the rocks which bear her name. Charybdis was a gTeedy 
woman, who stole the oxen of Hercules, and, for that offence, was turned 
into the gulf, or whirlpool, above mentioned. — Fiske. See Ovid. Met. xiv. 
59, &c. 

661. Trinacrian: Sicilian. Calabria: Southern part of Italy. 

662. Uglier : Uglier (beings) . Night-hag : Witch. 

665. The lab'ring moon: The ancients believed the moon to be greatly 
affected by magical practices ; and the Latin poets call the eclipses of the 
moon labores lunee. The three foregoing lines, and the former part of this. 
contain a short account of what was once believed, and in Milton's time not 
so ridiculous as now. — R. 

666. The other shape : The figure of Death, the regal crown upon his head, 
his menace of Satan, his advancing to the combat, the outcry at his birth, are 
circumstances that demand admiration. This description of Death. w r as pro- 
bably suggested by Spenser, Faery Queen, book viii. cant. 7. 



90 PARADISE LOST. 

Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as .Hell, 

And shook a dreadful dart. What seem'd his head 

The likeness of a kingly crown had on. 

Satan was now at hand, and from his seat, 

The monster moving onward, came as fast 675 

With horrid strides, Hell trembled as he strode. 

Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admired — 

Admired, not fear'd : God and his Son except, 

Created thing nought valued he nor shunn'd ; 

And with disdainful look thus first began : 680 

Whence and what art thou, execrable shape, 
That darest, though grim and terrible, advance 
Thy miscreated front athwart my way 
To yonder gates ? Through them I mean to pass, 
That be assured, without leave ask'd of thee : 685 

Retire or taste thy folly, and learn by proof, 
Hell-born, not to contend with Spirits of Heav'n. 

To whom the goblin full of wrath reply'd, 
Art thou that traitor Angel, art thou He, 

Who first broke peace in Heav'n, and faith, till then 690 

Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms 
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's sons, 

G71. Furies : An allusion to three daughters of Pluto, whose office it was 
to torment the guilty in Tartarus, and often to punish the living, by produc- 
ing fatal epidemics, the devastations of war, insanity, and murders. They 
were represented with vipers twining among their hair, usually with fright- 
ful countenances, in dark and bloody robes, and holding the torch of discord 
or vengeance. — Fiske's Cl. Manual. 

675, &c. That superior greatness and mock-majesty which is ascribed to 
the prince of fallen angels, is admirably preserved in every portion of this 
hook. His opening and closing the debate ; his taking on himself that great 
enterprise, at the thought of which the whole infernal assembly trembled ; 
his encountering the hideous phantom who guarded the gates of Hell, and 
appeared to him in all its terrors, are instances of that proud and daring mind 
which could not brook submission even to Omnipotence. 

The same boldness and intrepidity of behaviour discovers itself in the 
several adventures which he meets with during his passage through the 
regions of unformed matter, and. particularly in his address to those tremen- 
dous Powers who are described (960-970) as presiding over it. — A. 



BOOK II. 91 

Conjured against the High'st, for which both thou 

And they, outcast from God, are here condemn'd 

To waste eternal days in woe and pain ? 695 

And reckon'st thou thyself with Spirits of Heav'n, 

Hell-doom'd, and breath'st defiance here and scorn 

Where I reign king, and to enrage thee more, 

Thy king and lord ? Back to thy punishment, 

False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings, 700 

Lest with a whip of scorpions I pursue 

Thy ling'ring, or with one stroke of this dart 

Strange horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before. 

So spake the grisly terror, and in shape, 
So speaking, and so threat'ning, grew tenfold 705 

More dreadful and deform. On th' other side, 
Incensed with indignation, Satan stood 
Unterrify'd, and like a comet burn'd, 
That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge 

In th' arctic sky, and from his horrid hair 710 

Shakes pestilence and war. Each at the head 
Levell'd his deadly aim ; their fatal hands 
No second stroke intend, and such a frown 
Each cast at th' other, as when two black clouds, 
With Heav'n's artill'ry fraught, come rattling on 715 

678-679. Except: This passage will not bear a critical examination, for it 
implies that God and his Son are created things ; but the poet intended to 
convey no such idea. If for created, the word existing be substituted, the 
sense would be unembarassed. The word but is used with similar looseness 
in lines 333, 336. Richardson has pointed out a similar passage in Milton's 
Prose Works, " No place in Heaven and Earth, except Hell." 

693. Conjured : Leagued together. Virg. Georg. i. 280. 
•'• F.t canjuratos coilum rescindere fratres." 

709. Ophiuchus, or Serpentarius : One of the northern constellations. 

710. Pliny has this expression (ii. 22), " Cometas horrentes crine sangui- 
neo." The ancient poets frequently compare a hero in his shining armour, 
to a comet. Poetry delights in omens, prodigies, and such wonderful events 
as were supposed to follow upon the appearance of comets, eclipses, and like 
events. — N. 

715. Artillery: Thunder. 



92 PARADISE LOST. 

Over the Caspian ; then stand front to front 

Hov'ring a space, till winds the signal blow 

To join their dark encounter in mid-air. 

So frown'd the mighty combatants, that Hell 

Grew darker at their frown, so match'd they stood : 720 

For never but once more was either like 

To meet so great a foe : and now great deeds 

Had been achieved, whereof all Hell had rung, 

Had not the snaky sorceress that sat 

Fast by Hell gate, and kept the fatal key, 725 

Ris'n, and with hideous outcry rush'd between, 

O Father, what intends thy hand, she cry'd, 
Against thy only Son ? What fury, Son, 
Possesses thee to bend that mortal dart 

Against thy Father's head ? and know'st for whom ? 730 

For Him who sits above and laughs the while 
At thee ordain 'd his drudge, to execute 
Whate'er his wrath, which »he calls justice, bids: 
His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both. 

She spake, and at her words the hellish pest 735 

Forbore ; then these to her Satan return'd. 

So strange thy outcry, and thy words so strange 
Thou interposest, that my sudden hand 
Prevented, spares to tell thee yet by deeds 
What it intends, till first I know of thee, 740 

716. The Caspian is said to be subject to violent storms. Hor. Ode. ii. 9 : 2. 

721. Once more : In the person of Jesus Christ (734). Heb. ii. 14. 

758. Out of thy head I sprung : An allusion to the heathen fable of the 
goddess Minerva springing out of the head of Jupiter. Her appearance is 
represented as producing, among the heavenly beings, at first, amazement 
and terror ; but afterwards securing the approbation and favour of a multi- 
tude of them. This representation exhibits the horror in which the idea of 
sinning against God was first regarded, and the change of views among the 
sinning angels, upon becoming accustomed to acts of transgression. The same 
thing is true among men, particularly among the young when led astray 
from a moral course. 

In the seventh and eighth chapters of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, 
and in the first chapter of the Epistle of James, may be found, also, a vivid 
personification of sin. 



BOOK II. 93 

What thing thou art, thus douhle-form'd, and why 

In this infernal vale first met thou call'st 

Me Father, and that phantasm call'st my Son ; 

I know thee not, nor ever saw till now 

Sight more detestable than him and thee. 745 

T' whom thus the portress of Hell gate reply 'd : 
Hast thou forgot me then, and do I seem 
Now in thine eyes so foul ? once deem'd so fair 
In Heav'n, when at th' assembly, and in sight 
Of all the Seraphim with thee combined 750 

In bold conspiracy against Heav'n's King, 
All on a sudden miserable pain 
Surprised thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum 
In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast 
Threw forth, till on the left side op'ning wide, 755 

Likest to thee in shape and count'nance bright, 
Then shining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd 
Out of thy head I sprung ; amazement seized 
All th' host of Heav'n ; back they recoil'd, afraid 
At first, and call'd me Sin, and for a sign 760 

Portentous held me ; but familiar grown 
I pleased, and with attractive graces won 
The most averse, thee chiefly, who full oft 
Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing 

Becam'st enamour'd, and such joy thou took'st 765 

With me in secret, that my womb conceived 
A growing burthen. Meanwhile war arose, 
And fields were fought in Heav'n ; wherein remain'd 
(For what could else ?) to our Almighty Foe 
Clear victory ; to our part loss and rout 770 

Through all the empyrean. Down they fell, 
Driv'n headlong from the pitch of Heav'n, down 
Into this deep, and in the general fall 

760. For a sign : As a prodigy, or phenomenon. 

767. Growing burthen : This symbolizes the increasing atrocity and hideous- 
ness of a course of transgression, or its tendency to propagate itself. 

772. Pitch: Height 



94 PARADISE LOST. 

I also ; at which time this powerful key 

Into my hand was giv'n, with charge to keep 775 

These gates for ever shut ; which none can pass 

Without my op'ning. Pensive here I sat 

Alone ; but long I sat not, till my womb 

Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown, 

Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes 780 

At last this odious offspring whom thou seest 

Thine own begotten, breaking violent way, 

Tore through my entrails, that with fear and pain 

Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew 

Transform'd : but he my inbred enemy 785 

Forth issued, brandishing his fatal dart, 

Made to destroy. I fled, and cry'd out Death ; 

Hell trembled at the hideous name, and sigh'd 

From all her caves, and back resounded Death. 

I fled, but he pursued (though more, it seems, 790 

Inflamed with lust than rage), and swifter far, 

Me overtook, his mother all dismay'd, 

And in embraces forcible and foul 

Ingend'ring with me, of that rape begot 

These yelling monsters, that with ceaseless cry 795 

Surround me, as thou saw'st, hourly conceived 

And hourly born, with sorrow infinite 

To me ; for when they list, into the womb 

That bred them they return, and howl and gnaw 

My bowels, their repast ; then bursting forth 800 

Afresh with conscious terrors vex me round, 

That rest or intermission none I find. 

787. Death : Death is represented, in the Holy Scriptures, as the -product 
of sin. Rom. v. 12, " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by 
sin, and so death hath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.'" 

789, An imitation of Virg. ^En. ii. 53. 

" Insonuere cava?, eremitumque dedere cavernae." 

H. 

795. Yelling monsters : These creatures symbolize the pangs of remorse 
which torment the sinner, and his fearful apprehensions in prospect of death. 
See Heb. x. 27. 

802. Rest: See Isaiah lviii. 20, 21. 



BOOK II. 



95 



Before mine eyes in opposition sits 

Grim Death, my son and foe, who sets them on, 

And me, his parent, would full soon devour 805 

For want of other prey, but that he knows 

His end with mine involved ; and knows that I 

Should prove a bitter morsel, and his bane, 

Whenever that shall be. So Fate pronounced. 

But thou, Father, I forewarn thee, shun 810 

His deadly arrow ; neither vainly hope 

To be invulnerable in those bright arms, 

Though temper'd heav'nly, for that mortal dint, 

Save He who reigns above, none can resist. 

She finish'd, and the subtle Fiend his lore 815 

Soon learn'd, now milder, and thus answer'd smooth. 
Dear Daughter, since thou claim'st me for thy sire, 
And my fan- son here show'st me, the dear pledge 
Of dalliance had with thee in Heav'n, and joys 
Then sweet, now sad to mention, through dire change 820 

Befall'n us unforeseen, unthought of ; know 
I come no enemy, but to set free 
From out this dark and dismal house of pain 
Both him and thee, and all the heav'nly host 
Of Spirits, that in our just pretences arm'd 825 

805-7. There is a beautiful circumstance alluded to in these lines. — A. 

807. His end, fyc. : Death lives by sin. 

809. The heathen poets make Jupiter superior to Fate. Iliad i. 5 ; JEn. 
iii. 375; iv. 614. But Milton, with great propriety, makes the fallen angels 
and Sin here attribute events to Fate, without any mention of the Supreme 
Being. — N. 

813. Dint: Stroke. 

817. Dear daughter: Satan had now learned his lore or lesson, and the 
reader will observe how artfully he changes his language. He had said 
before (745) , that he had never seen sight more detestable ; but now it is 
dear daughter, and my fair son. 

824. Both him and thee, fyc. : The reader will observe how naturally the 
three persons concerned in this allegory are tempted by one common interest 
to enter into a confederacy together, and how properly Sin is made the portress 
of Hell, and the only being that can open the gates to that world of torture. 



96 PARADISE LOST. 

Fell with us from on high : from them I go 

This uncouth errand sole, and one for all 

Myself expose, with lonely steps to tread 

Th' unfounded deep, and through the void immense 

To search with wand'ring quest a place foretold 830 

Should be, and, by concurring signs, ere now 

Created vast and round, a place of bliss 

In the purlieus of Heav'n, and therein placed 

A race of upstart creatures to supply 

Perhaps our vacant room, though more removed, 835 

Lest Heav'n surcharged with potent multitude 

Might hap to move new broils : Be this or aught 

Than this more secret now design'd, I haste 

To know, and this once known, shall soon return, 

And bring ye to the place where thou and Death 840 

Shall dwell at ease, and up and down unseen 

Wing silently the buxom air, embalm'd 

With odours : there ye shall be fed and fill'd 

Immeasurably, all things shall be your prey. 

He ceased, for both seem'd highly pleased ; and Death 845 
Grinn'd horrible a ghastly smile, to hear 
His famine should be fill'd, and blest his maw 
Destined to that good hour : no less rejoiced 
His mother bad, and thus bespake her sire : 

The key of this infernal pit by due, 850 

And by command of Heav'n 's all-powerful King, 
I keep, by him forbidden to unlock 
These adamantine gates ; against all force 
Death ready stands to interpose his dart, 

827. Uncouth: Unusual. Sole: Alone. 

833. Purlieus : Neighbourhood. 

840. Bring ye : It was Satan's horrid design to introduce sin and death 
into our world. 

842. Buxom : Yielding, flexible, from a Saxon word, signifying " to bend." 
The word has this sense in a prose sentence of Milton : " Thinking thereby 
to make them more tractable and buxom to his government." — N. 

850. Due: Right. 

854. Death: The penalty of disobeying God. 



Fearless to be o'ermatch'd by living might. 85f> 

But what owe I to his commands above 

Who hates me, and .hath hither thrust me down 

Into this gloom of Tartarus profound, 

To sit in hateful office here confined, 

Inhabitant of Heav'n, and heav'nly born, 860 

Here in perpetual agony and pain, 

With terrors and with clamours compass'd round 

Of mine own brood, that on my bowels feed ? 

Thou art my father, thou my author, thou 

My being gav'st me ; whom should I obey 865 

But thee, whom follow ? thou wilt bring me soon 

To that new world of light and bliss, among 

The Gods who live at ease, where I shall reign 

At thy right hand voluptuous, as beseems 

Thy daughter and thy darling, without end. 870 

Thus saying, from her side the fatal key, 
Sad instrument of all our woe, she took ; 
And tow'rds the gate rolling her bestial train, 

855. Living might : Except that of God, at whose command Sin and Death 
were appointed to guard the gates of Hell. 

856. Owe I: Sin refuses obedience to God, casts off allegiance to Him. 
860. Sin was born in Heaven when Satan committed his first offence 

(864-5) . 

866. JVhom follow : That is, whom shall I follow ? Sin yields obedience 
to Satan. So every act of human transgression is represented in Scripture 
as an act of homage to Satan. John viii. 44; Ephes. ii. 1-3. 

871. It is one great part of the poet's art, to know when to describe thing? 
in general, and when to be very circumstantial and particular. Milton has, 
in this and the following lines, shown his judgment in this respect. The 
first opening of the gates of Hell by Sin, is an incident of such importance 
that every reader's attention must have been greatly excited, and, consi- 
quently, as highly gratified by the minute detail of particulars our autho. 
has given us. It may, with justice, be further observed, that in no par; 
of the poem the versification is better accommodated to the sense. The 
drawing up of the portcullis, the turning of the key, the sudden shooting of 
the bolts, and the flying open of the doors, are, in some sort, described by 
the very break and sound of the verse. — T. 

872. Sad instrument of all our woe: The escape of Satan to our world 
was the occasion of human sin and misery. 

7 



98 PARADISE LOST. 

Forthwith the huge portcullis high up-drew, 

Which but herself, not all the Stygian pow'rs 875 

Could once have moved ; then in the key-hole turns 

Th' intricate wards, and ev'ry bolt and bar 

Of massy iron or solid rock with ease 

Unfastens. On a sudden open fly 

With impetuous recoil and jarring sound 880 

Th' infernal doors, and on their hinges grate 

Harsh thunder, that the lowest bottom shook 

Of Erebus. She open'd ; but to shut 

Excell'd her pow'r : the gates wide open stood, 

That with extended wings a banner'd host 885 

Under spread ensigns marching might pass through 

With horse and chariots rank'd in loose array ; 

So wide they stood, and like a furnace mouth 

879-883. On a sudden, fyc. : The description just given of the gates is 
highly poetical, and now of the opening of the gates. There is a harshness 
in the sound of the words, that happily corresponds to the meaning con- 
veyed, or to the fact described. This correspondence of the sound of the 
language to the sense, is a great rhetorical beauty : in this case, it also ad- 
mirably serves to impress the mind with horror. 

883. See Virg. Georg. iv. 471, "Erebi de sedibus imis." Erebus: Ac- 
cording to ideas of the Homeric and Hesiodic ages, the world or universe 
was a hollow globe, divided into two equal portions by the flat disk of the earth. 
The external shell of this globe is called by the poets brazen and iron, pro- 
bably only to express its solidity. The superior hemisphere was named 
Heaven: the inferior one, Tartarus. The length of the diameter of the 
hollow sphere, is thus given by Hesiod. It would take, he says, nine days 
for an anvil to fall from Heaven to Earth; and an equal space of time 
would be occupied by its fall from Earth to the bottom of Tartarus. The 
luminaries which gave light to gods and men, shed their radiance through 
all the interior of the upper hemisphere ; while that of the inferior one was 
filled with gloom and darkness, and its still air was unmoved by any wind. 
Tartarus was regarded, at this period, as the prison of the gods, and not as 
the place of torment for wicked men, being to the gods what Erebus was to 
men-^-the abode of those who were driven from the supernal world. Ere- 
bus lay between the Earth and Hades, beneath the latter of which was 
Tartarus. — Anthon. 

883-4. But to shut, fyc. : An impressive lesson is here incidentally con- 
veyed — that it is easy to sin, but not so easy to avoid the penal conse- 
sequences. 



BOOK II. 99 

Cast forth redounding smoke and ruddy flame. 

Before their eyes in sudden view appear 890 

The secrets of the hoary deep, a dark 

Illimitable ocean, without bound, 

Without dimension, where length, breadth, and heighth, 

And time, and place, are lost ; where eldest Night 

And Chaos, ancestors of Nature, hold 895 

Eternal anarchy, amidst the noise 

Of endless wars, and by confusion stand. 

For hot, cold, moist, and dry, four champions fierce 

Strive here for mast'ry, and to battle bring 

Their embryon atoms ; they around the flag 900 

Of each his faction, in their sev'ral clans, 

Light-arm'd or heavy, sharp, smooth, swift, or slow, 

Swarm populous, unnumber'd as the sands 

Of Barca or Cyrene's torrid soil, 

Levy'd to side with warring winds, and poise 905 

394-5. Night : By the Romans, Night was personified as the daughter of 
Chaos. Both are here represented as progenitors of Nature, by which the 
arranged creation is meant. Dropping the allegory, the idea conveyed, is 
that night and chaos, or darkness and a confused state of matter, preceded 
the existence of nature, or of the universe in its fully arranged and organized 
form. Night and Chaos are represented as the monarchs of a confused state 
of the elements of things, among which hot, cold, moist, or dry, like four 
fierce champions, are striving for the mastery. The false Epicurean theory 
of creation is here alluded to, according to which the worlds were produced 
by a fortuitous concourse of atoms. " Chance governs all." 

898. For hot: Ovid i. 19, &c. 

" Fiigida pugnabant calidis, humentia siccis 
Mollia cum duris, sine pondere habentia pondus." 

Milton has, in this description, omitted all the puerilities that disfigure 
Ovid's.— N. 

904. Barca : For the most part a desert country, on the northern coast of 
Africa, extending from the Syrtis Major as far as Egypt. Cyrene, was the 
capital of Cyrenaica (which was included in Barca) , on the shore of the 
Mediterranean, west of Egypt. 

905. The atoms, or indivisible particles of matter, are compared, in re- 
spect to number and motion, to the sands of an African desert, which are 
mustered to side with, or assist, contending winds in their mutual struggles. 
Poise their lighter wings : Give weight, or ballast, to the lighter wings of 



100 PARADISE LOST. 

Their lighter wings. To whom these most adhere, 

He rules a moment ; Chaos umpire sits, 

And by decision more embroils the fray 

By which he reigns : next him high arbiter 

Chance governs all. Into this wild abyss, 910 

The womb of Nature, and perhaps her grave, 

Of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire, 

But all these in their pregnant causes mix'd 

Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight, 

Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain 915 

His dark materials to create more worlds ; 

Into this wild abyss the wary Fiend 

Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while, 

Pond'ring his voyage : for no narrow frith 

the winds. An allusion is here made to the birds described by Pliny, as 
ballasting themselves with small stones when a storm rises ; or, to the bees 
deseribed by Virg. Georg. iv. 194. — R. 

906. To whom these most : The reason why any one of these champions 
rules (though but for a moment) , is, because the atoms of his faction adhere 
most to him ; or, the meaning may be, to whatever side the atoms tem- 
porarily adhere, that side rules for the moment. — E. B. 

910. Wild abyss: Milton's system of the universe is, in short, that the Em- 
pyrean Heaven, and Chaos, and Darkness, were before the Creation — Heaven 
above and Chaos beneath ; and then, upon the rebellion of the angels, first 
Hell was formed out of Chaos, stretching far and wide beneath; and after- 
wards Heaven and Earth were formed — another world hanging over the realm 
of Chaos, and won from his dominion. — N. 

912. Possessing neither sea nor shore, &c. 

918. Stood and looked: These words are to be transposed to make 

the sense plain; which is, that the wary Fiend stood on tie brink of Hell, 
and looked a while into this wild abyss. A similar liberty is taken by the 
poet, in the transposition of words, in Book V. 368. 

919. Pondering his voyage: In Satan's voyage through the chaos, there are 
several imaginary persons described as residing in that immense waste of 
matter. This may, perhaps, be conformable to the taste of those critics who 
are pleased with nothing in a poet which has not life and manners ascribed 
to it ; but, for my own part, says Addison, I am pleased most with those 
passages in this description, which carry in them a greater measure of pro- 
bability, and are such as might possibly have happened. Of this kind is his 
first mounting in the smoke that rises from the infernal pit; his falling into 
a cloud of nitre, and the like combustible materials, which, by their explo- 



BOOK II. 101 

He had to cross. Nor was his ear less peal'd 920 

With noises loud and ruinous (to compare 

Great things with small) than when Bellona storms 

With all her batt'ring engines bent, to raze 

Some capital city ; or less than if this frame 

Of Heav'n were falling, and these elements 925 

In mutiny had from her axle torn 

The steadfast earth. At last his sail-broad vans 

He spreads for flight, and in the surging smoke 

Uplifted spurns the ground ; thence many a league, 

As in a cloudy chair, ascending rides 930 

Audacious ; but that seat soon failing, meets 

A vast vacuity : all unawares 

Flutt'ring his pennons vain, plumb down he drops 

Ten thousand fathom deep, and to this hour 

Down had been falling, had not by ill chance, 935 

The strong rebuff of some tumultuous cloud, 

Instinct with fire and nitre, hurried him 

As many miles aloft : that fury stay'd, 

sion, still hurried him onward in his voyage ; his springing up like a pyra- 
mid of fire, with his laborious passage through that confusion of elements 
which the poet calls " the womb of Nature, and perhaps her grave. — A. 

921. Compare, Sf-c. : Virg. Ec. i. 24, "Parvis componere magna." 

922. Bellona : The goddess of war. 

927. Vans : Wings. As the air and water are both fluids, the metaphors 
taken from the one are often applied to the other, and flying is compared to 
sailing, and sailing to flying. Says Virg. JEn. iii. 520, " Velorum pandimus 
alas," and in JEn. i. 300, 

" volat ille per aera magnum 

Remigio alarum." 

Newton has furnished examples also from Spenser. 

933. Pennons : The common meaning is banners ; but it probably is used 
for pinions, and is synonymous with vans, used above. Plumb : Perpendi- 
cularly. 

935. Ill chance : An ill chance for mankind that he was so far speeded on 
his journey. — P. 

938. That fury stayed : That fiery rebuff" ceased, quenched and, put out by 
a soft quicksand. Syrtis is explained by neither sea nor land, exactly agree- 
ing with Lucan. 

'• Syrtes — in dubio pelagi, terrseque reliquit." 



102 PARADISE LOST. 

Quench'd in a boggy Syrtis, neither sea, 

Nor good dry land : nigh founder'd on he fares, 940 

Treading the crude consistence, half on foot, 

Half flying ; behoves hirn now both oar and sail. 

As when a gryphon through the wilderness 

With winged course, o'er hill or moory dale, 

Pursues the Arimaspian, who by stealth 945 

Had from his wakeful custody purloin'd 

The guarded gold : so eagerly the Fiend 

O'er bog, or steep, through strait, rough, dense or rare, 

With head, hands, wings, or feet pursues his way, 

And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies : 950 

At length a universal hubbub wild 

Of stunning sounds and voices all confused, 

Borne through the hollow dark, assaults his ear 

With loudest vehemence : thither he plies, 

Undaunted to meet there whatever Pow'r 955 

Or Spirit of the nethermost abyss 

Might in that noise reside, of whom to ask 

Which way the nearest coast of darkness lies 

940. Fares: Goes. 

942. Behoves him, fyc. : It behoveth him more to use both his oars and his 
sails, as galleys do, according to the proverb, Remis velisque, with might 
and main. — H. 

943. Gryphon : An imaginary animal, part eagle and part lion, said to 
watch over mines of gold, and whatever was hidden for safe keeping. The 
Arimaspians were a people of Scythia, who, according to the legend related 
by Herodotus, had but one eye, and waged a continual warfare with the 
griffons that guarded the gold, which was found in great abundance where 
these people resided. 

948. The difficulty of Satan's voyage is very well expressed by sn many 
monosyllables, which cannot be pronounced but slowly, and with frequent 
pauses. — N. 

956. Nethermost: While the throne of Chaos was above Hell, and, con- 
sequently, a part of the abyss was so, a part of that abyss was, at the same 
time, far below Hell ; so far below, that when Satan went from Hell on his 
voyage, he fell in that abyss ten thousand fathoms deep (934) , and the poet 
there adds that if it had not been for an accident, he had been falling down 
there to this hour ; nay, it was illimitable, and xuhere height is lost. Of course 
the abyss, considered as a whole, was nethermost in respect to Hell. — P. 



BOOK II. 103 

Bord'ring on light ; when strait behold the throne 

Of Chaos, and his dark pavilion spread 960 

Wide on the wasteful deep ; with him enthroned 

Sat sable-vested Night, eldest of things, 

The consort of his reign ; and by them stood 

Orcus and Ades, and the dreaded name 

Of Demogorgon ; Rumour next and Chance, 965 

And Tumult and Confusion, all embroil'd, 

And Discord, with a thousand various mouths. 

T' whom Satan turning boldly, thus : Ye Pow'rs 
And Spirits of this nethermost abyss, 

Chaos and ancient Night, I come no spy, 970 

With purpose to explore or to disturb 
The secrets of your realm, but by constraint 
Wand'ring this darksome desert, as my way 
Lies through your spacious empire up to light, 

964. Orcus and Ades : Orcus and Hades. These terms usually denote the 
abodes of departed spirits ; sometimes are used as names of Pluto, the fabled 
deity that presides over those abodes. They are here personified, and 
occupy a place in the court of Chaos. 

965-6. Name, fyi. : There was a notion among the ancients of a certain 
deity, whose very name they supposed capable of producing the most ter- 
rible effects, and which they therefore dreaded to pronounce, He was con- 
sidered as possessing great power in incantations ; and to have obtained this 
name from the power which he had of looking with impunity upon the 
Gorgon, that turned all other spectators to stone. The dreaded name of De- 
mogorgon here stands for " the dreaded Demogorgon," by a common figure, 
used especially by the sacred writers. See Rev. xi. 13, " And in the earth- 
quake were slain names of men seven thousand," meaning, of course, seven 
thousand men. — N. Rumor next, fyc. : Addison seems to disapprove of these 
fictitious beings, thinking them, I suppose (like Sin and Death), improper for 
an epic poem ; but I see no reason why Milton may not be allowed to place 
such imaginary beings in the regions of Chaos, as well as Virgil describe simi- 
lar beings, Grief, and Fear, and Want, and Sleep, and Death, and Discord like- 
wise, within the confines of Hell ; and why what is accounted a beauty in 
one should be deemed a fault in the other? See JEn. vi. 273, &c, and Dry- 
den's translation of the passage. Other writers have introduced, with 
general approbation, similar fictitious beings. — N. 

966. Embroiled : Confusedly intermixed. 

972. Secrets : Secret places is the more probable meaning : yet it may 
mean, secret counsels and transactions. See Book I. 167 ; VII. 95. — N. 



104 PARADISE LOST. 

Alone, and without guide, half lost, I seek 975 

What readiest path leads where your gloomy bounds 
Confine with Heav'n ; or if some other place 
From your dominion won, th' ethereal King 
Possesses lately, thither to arrive 

I travel this profound ; direct my course ; 980 

Directed no mean recompense it brings 
To your behoof, if I that region lost, 
All usurpation thence expell'd, reduce 
To her original darkness and your sway 

(Which is my present journey), and once more 985 

Erect the standard there of ancient Night ; 
Yours be th' advantage all, mine the revenge 
Thus Satan ; and him thus the Anarch old, 
With fault'ring speech and visage incomposed, 
Answer'd : I know thee, stranger, who thou art ; 990 

That mighty leading Angel, who of late 
Made head against Heav'n's King, though overthrown. 
I saw and heard ; for such a num'rous host 
Fled not in silence, through the frighted deep 
With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, 995 

Confusion worse confounded ; and Heav'n gates 
Pour'd out by millions her victorious bands 
Pursuing. I upon my frontiers here 
Keep residence ; if all I can will serve 

That little which is left so to defend, 1000 

Encroach'd on still through your intestine broils, 
Weak'ning the sceptre of old Night : first Hell 

981. This passage is thus paraphrased by Newton: My course directed 
may bring no little recompense and advantage to you, if I reduce that lost 
region, all usurpation being thence expelled, to her original darkness and 
your sway, which is the purport of my present journey, &c. 

982. Behoof: Advantage. Lost: That is, to those whom he addressed, 
having been withdrawn from a chaotic condition. 

999. Can : Can do. 

1000. So: In this manner; that is, by keeping my residence on the fron- 
tiers, and doing all I can. 

1002. First Hell (was encroached on). 



BOOK II. 105 

Your dungeon stretching far and wide beneath ; 

Now lately Heav'n and Earth, another world, 

Hung o'er my realm, link'd in a golden chain 1005 

To that side Heav'n from whence your legions fell : 

If that way be your walk, you have not far ; 

So much the nearer danger ; go and speed ; 

Havock, and spoil, and ruin, are my gain. 

He ceased, and Satan stay'd not to reply; 1010 

But glad that now his sea should find a shore, 
With fresh alacrity and force renew'd, 
Springs upward like a pyramid of fire 
Into the wild expanse, and through the shock 
Of fighting elements, on all sides round 1015 

Environ'd, wins his way ; harder beset 

1004. Another world (was encroached on). The term Heaven is here the 
starry heaven, which, together with our earth, constitutes the other " world" 
here mentioned. 

1005-6. The idea may have been suggested by the golden chain with 
which Jupiter is described in the Iliad, book viii., as drawing up the earth. 
Heaven, in these lines, denotes the residence of Deity,- and the abode of 
righteous men and angels, called the empyreal Heaven, line 1047. The ques- 
tion arises, how the intestine broils, originated by the fallen angels, had produced 
the encroachments above referred to ? To this question, the answer may be 
rendered, that Hell was created out of chaotic materials to serve as a prison 
for the apostate angels ; and that our world was created out of similar ma- 
terials to furnish an abode for a holy race that might serve as a compen- 
sation for the loss of the fallen angels from the services of Heaven. See 
Book III. 678-80. The atoms from which Hell and the Earth were formed, 
previously to the " intestine broils" in the angelic family, belonged to the 
kingdom of Chaos and Old Night. See 345-386. Night's sceptre was thus 
weakened by the withdrawment of a part of her dominions. 

1011. Find a shore : A metaphor, expressive of his joy that now his travel 
and voyage should terminate ; somewhat like that of one of the ancients, 
who, reading a tedious book, and coming near to the end, cried, / see land, 
Terram video. — N. 

1013. Like a pyramid of fire: To take in the full meaning of the mag- 
nificent similitude, we must imagine ourselves in chaos, and a vast luminous 
body rising upward near the place where we are, so swiftly as to appear a 
continued track of light, and lessening to the view according to the increase 
of distance, till it end in a point, and then disappear ; and all this must 
be supposed to strike our eye at one instant.— Bp/^tie. 



106 PARADISE LOST. 

And more endanger'd than when Argo pass'd 

Through Bosphorus, betwixt the justling rocks ; 

Or when Ulysses on the larboard shunn'd 

Charybdis, and by th' other whirlpool steer'd. 1020 

So he with difficulty and labour hard 

Moved on, with difficulty and labour he ; 

But he once past, soon after when man fell, 

Strange alteration ! Sin and Death amain 

Following his track, such was the will of Heav'n, 1025 

Paved after him a broad and beaten way 

Over the dark abyss, whose boiling gulf 

Tamely endured a bridge of wondrous length 

From Hell continued reaching th' utmost orb 

1017. Argo: There was an ancient fable that two small islands, called 
Symplegades, at the mouth of the Thracian Bosphorus (Straits of Constan- 
tinople) , floated about, and sometimes united to crush those vessels which 
chanced at the time to be passing through the Straits. The ship Jlrgo, on 
its way to Colchis, had a narrow escape in passing, having lost the ex- 
tremity of the stern. 

1021-2. With difficulty, fyc. : These lines can be pronounced only with 
some effort, and hence are well adapted to impress the idea which they con- 
vey. The repetition of the idea also favors the same residt. 

1024. Amain: Violently. 

1028. Bridge, Sfc. : It has been properly objected to this passage, that the 
same bridge is described in Book x. for several lines together, poetically and 
pompously, as a thing untouched before, and an incident to surprise the reader ; 
and therefore the poet should not have anticipated it here. — N. 

1029. Utmost orb : The idea here conveyed is entirely different from what 
to most readers will seem the obvious one. In Book X. 302, the bridge is 
represented as "joining to the wall immoveable of this now fenceless world." 
The same thing is described (317) as "the outside base of this round world." 
In Book III. 74, 75, Satan is represented as 

" Ready now ' 

To stoop with wearied wings and willing feet 
On the bare outside of this world, that seem'd 
Firm land embosom'd, without firmament, 
Uncertain which, in ocean or in air." 

A more full description of the same locality is furnished Book III. 417-430 ; 
497-502 ; 526-528 ; 540-543. The poet, in these passages, brings up be- 
fore our imagination, an immense opaque hollow sphere, separating the reign 
of Chaos and Old Night from the solar and sidereal system. 



BOOK II. 107 

Of this frail world; by which the Spirits perverse 1030 

With easy intercourse pass to and fro 

To tempt or punish mortals, except whom 

God and good Angels guard by special grace 

But now at last the sacred influence 

Of light appears, and from the walls of Heav'n 1035 

Shoots far into the bosom of dim Night 

A glimm'ring dawn. Here Nature first begins 

Her farthest verge, and Chaos to retire 

As from her outmost works a broken foe 

With tumult less, and with less hostile din, 1040 

That Satan with less toil, and now with ease, 

Wafts on the calmer wave by dubious light, 

And like a weather-beaten vessel holds 

Gladly the port, though shrouds and tackle torn ; 

Or in the emptier waste, resembling air, 1045 

Weighs his spread wings, at leisure to behold 

Far off th' empyreal Heav'n, extended wide 

In circuit, undetermined square or round, 

1046. Weighs : Lifts. 

1047. Empyreal Heaven: The highest and purest region of heaven, or sim- 
ply, the pure and brilliant heaven, from a word signifying fire. 

1048. Undetermined square or round : Of no definite boundaries. 

1052. Pendent world: From Shakspeare's Measure for Measure, Act III. 
Scene 1. 

1052-3. This pendent world: The earth alone is not meant, but the new 
creation, Heaven and Earth, the whole orb of fixed stars, including the plau- 
ets, the earth and the sun. In line 1004, Chaos had said, 

"Now lately, Heav'n and Earth, another world. 
Hung o'er my realm, linked in a golden chain.'' 

Satan had not yet seen the earth, nor any of those other luminous bodies 
he was afterwards surprised at the sudden view of all this world at once, III 
542, having wandered long on the outside of it, till at last he saw our sun, 
and there was informed by the archangel Uriel, where the Earth and Para- 
dise were, III. 722. This pendent world, therefore, must mean the whole 
world, in the sense of universe, then new created, which, when observed 
from a distance, afar off, appeared,, in comparison with the empyreal Heaven, 
no bigger than a star of smallest magnitude, close to the moon, appears when 
compared with that body. 

How wonderful is the imagination of prodigious distance, exhibited in 



108 PARADISE LOST. 

With opal tow'rs and battlements adorn'd 

Of living sapphire, once his native seat ; 1050 

And fast by hanging in a golden chain 

This pendent world, in bigness as a star 

Of smallest magnitude close by the moon. 

Thither full fraught with mischievous revenge, 

Accursed, and in a cursed hour he hies. 1055 

these lines, that after Satan had travelled on so far, and had come in view of 
the whole world, it should still appear, in comparison with the empyreal 
Heaven, no larger than the smallest star, and that star apparently yet smaller 
by its proximity to the moon ! How beautiful, and how poetical also, thus 
to open the scene by degrees ! Satan at first descries the whole world at a 
distance, Book II. ; and then, as we learn in Book III., he discovers our plan- 
etary system, and the sun, and afterwards, by the direction of Uriel, the earth 
and neighbouring moon. — N. 

1055. Hies : Hastens. This progress is described in the next Book, 418- 
430 ; 498-590 ; 722-743. 



POETIC DICTION OF MILTON. 

To some readers it will not be unprofitable or unacceptable to offer some 
remarks on this subject, drawn from Addison's Spectator. 

Milton, in conformity with the practice of the ancient poets, has infused 
a great many Latinisms, as well as Graecisms, and sometimes Hebraisms, 
into the language of his poem. Under this head may be ranked the placing 
the adjective after the substantive, the transposition of words, the turning 
the adjective into a substantive, with several other foreign modes of speech 
which this poet has naturalized, to give his verse the greater sound, and throw 
it out of prose. Sometimes particular words are extended or contracted by 
the insertion or omission of certain syllables. Milton has put in practice 
this method of raising his language, as far as the nature of our tongue will 
permit, as eremite for hermit. For the sake of the measure of his v erse, he 
has with great judgment suppressed a syllable in several words, and short- 
ened those of two syllables into one, this expedient giving a greater variety 
to his numbers. It is chiefly observable in the names of persons and coun- 
tries, as Beelzebub, Hessebon, and in many other particulars, wherein he has 
either changed the name, or made use of that which is not the most com- 
monly known, that he might the further deviate from the language of com- 
mon life. 

The same reason recommended to him several old words, which also 
makes his poem appear the more venerable, and gives it a greater air of an- 
tiquity. 



BOOK II. 109 

There are also in Milton several words of his own coining, as Cerberean 
miscreate, hell-doomed, embryon, atomy, and many others. The same 
liberty was made use of by Homer. 

Milton, by the above-mentioned helps, and by the choice of the noblest 
words and phrases which' our tongue would afford him, has carried our lan- 
guage to a greater height than any of the English poets have ever done be- 
fore or after him, and made the sublimity of his style equal to that of his 
sentiments ; yet in some places his style is rendered stiff and obscure by the 
methods which he adopted for raising his style above the prosaic. 

These forms of expression, however, with which Milton has so very much 
enriched, and in some places darkened the language of his poem, were the 
more proper for him to use, because his poem is written in blank verse. 
Rhyme, without any other assistance, throws the language off from prose, and 
often makes an indifferent phrase pass unregarded ; but where the verse is 
not built upon rhymes, there pomp of sound and energy of expression are in- 
dispensably necessary to support the style and keep it from falling into the 
flatness of prose. 

Upon the subject of Poetic Diction, Dugald Stewart offers some excellent 
observations, (Works, vol. i. 280-3). He says : 

As it is one great object of the poet, in his serious productions, to elevate 
the imagination of his readers above the grossness of sensible objects, and 
the vulgarity of common life, it becomes peculiarly necessary for him to 
reject the use of all words and phrases which are trivial and hackneyed. 
Among those which are equally pure and equally perspicuous, he, in general, 
finds it expedient to adopt that which is the least common. Milton pre- 
fers the words Rhene and Danaw, to the more common words Rhine and 
Danube. 

"A multitude, like which the populous North 
Poured never from his frozen loins, bi pass 
Rhene or the Danaw." — Book I. 353. 

In the following line, 

•• Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme," 

how much more suitable to the poetical style does the expression appear 
than if the author had said, 

" Things unattempted yet in prose or verse." 
In another passage, where, for the sake of variety, he has made use of the 
last phrase, he adds an epithet to remove it a little from the familiarity of 
ordinary discourse, 

" in prose or numerous verse." 



In consequence of this circumstance, there arises gradually in every lan- 
guage a poetical diction, which differs widely from the common diction of 
prose. It is much less subject to the vicissitudes of fashion than the polite 
modes of expression in familiar conversation ; because, when it has once 
been adopted by the poet, it is avoided by good prose writers, as being too 



110 PARADISE LOST. 

elevated for that species of composition. It may, therefore, retain its charm 
as long as the language exists ; nay, the charm may increase, as the language 
grows older. 

Indeed, the charm of poetical diction must increase to a certain degree, as 
polite literature advances. For, when once a set of words has been con- 
secrated to poetry, the very sound of them, independently of the ideas they 
convey, awakens, every time we hear it, the agreeable impressions which 
were connected with it, when we met with them in the performances of our 
favourite authors. Even when strung together in sentences which convey 
no meaning, they produce some effect on the mind of a reader of sensibility ; 
an effect, at least, extremely different from that of an unmeaning sentence in 
prose. 

Nor is it merely by a difference of words that the language of poetry is 
distinguished from that of prose. When a poetical arrangement of words 
has once been established by authors of reputation, the most common ex- 
pressions, by being presented in this consecrated order, may serve to excite 
poetical associations. 

On the other hand, nothing more completely destroys the charm of poetry, 
than a string of words which the custom of ordinary discourse has arranged 
in so invariable an order, that the whole phrase may be anticipated from 
hearing its commencement. A single word frequently strikes us as flat and 
prosaic, in consequence of its familiarity ; but two such words, coupled 
together in the order of conversation, can scarcely be introduced into serious 
poetry without approaching the ludicrous. 

No poet in our language has shown so strikingly as Milton, the wonder- 
ful elevation which style may derive from an arrangement of words, which, 
while it is perfectly intelligible, departs widely from that to which we are 
in general accustomed. Many of his most sublime periods, when the order 
of the words is altered, are reduced nearly to the level of prose. 

To copy this artifice with success, is a much more difficult attainment 
than is commonly imagined ; and, of consequence, when it is acquired, it 
secures an author, to a great degree, from that crowd of imitators who spoil 
the effect of whatever is not beyond their reach. To the poet, who uses 
blank: verse, it is an acquisition of still more essential consequence than to 
him who expresses himself in rhyme ; for the more that the structure of the 
verse approaches to prose, the more it is necessary to give novelty and dignity 
to the composition. And, accordingly, among our magazine poets, ten 
thousand catch the structure of Pope's versification, for one who approaches 
to the manner of Milton or Thomson. 

Some of Dr. Channing's observations on the expressiveness of Milton's 
numbers, are included in the note on lines 209-14, Book VI. 



BOOK III. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

God, sitting on his throne, sees Satan flying towards this world, then 
newly created; shows him to the Son, who sat at his right hand; foretells 
the success of Satan in perverting mankind ; clears his own justice and wis- 
dom from all imputation, having created Man free and able enough to have 
withstood his tempter ; yet declares his purpose of grace towards him, in 
regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by him seduced. The 
Son of God renders praises to his Father for the manifestation of his gracious 
purpose towards Man ; but God again declares, that grace cannot be extended 
towards Man without the satisfaction of divine justice ; Man hath offended 
the Majesty of God by aspiring to Godhead, and, therefore, with all his pro- 
geny, devoted to death, must die, unless some one can be found sufficient to 
answer for his offence, and undergo his punishment. The Son of God freely 
offers himself a ransom for Man ; the Father accepts him, ordains his incar- 
nation, pronounces his exaltation above all names in Heaven and Earth ; 
commands all the Angels to adore him ; they obey, and hymning to their 
harps in full choir, celebrate the Father and the Son. Meanwhile Satan 
alights upon the bare convex of this world's outermost orb, where, wander- 
ing, he first finds a place, since called the Limbo of Vanity ; what persons 
and things fly up thither : thence comes to the gate of Heaven, descried 
ascending by stairs, and the waters above the firmament that flow about it; 
his passage thence to the orb of the Sun ; he finds there Uriel, the regent ol 
that orb, but first changes himself into the shape of a meaner Angel ; and 
pretending a zealous desire to behold the new creation, and Man whom God 
had placed here, inquires of him the place of his habitation, and is directed; 
alights first on Mount Niphates. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

I cannot admit this Book to be inferior in poetical merit, to those which 
precede it ; the argumentative parts give a pleasing variety. The unfavour- 
able opinion has arisen from a narrow view of the nature of Poetry ; from 
the theory of those who think that it ought to be confined to description and 
imagery ; on the contrary, the highest poetry consists more of spirit than of 
matter. Matter is good only so far as it is imbued with spirit, or causes 
spiritual exaltation. Among the innumerable grand descriptions in Milton, 
I do not believe there is one which stands unconnected with complex intel- 
lectual considerations, and of which those considerations do not form a lead- 
ing part of the attraction. The learned allusions may be too deep for the 
common reader ; and so far, the poet is above the reach of the multitude : 
but even then they create a certain vague stir in unprepared minds ; names 
indistinctly heard ; visions dimly seen ; constant recognitions of Scriptural 
passages, and sacred names, awfully impressed on the memory from child- 
hood, awaken the sensitive understanding with sacred and mysterious 
movements. 

We do not read Milton in the same light mood as we read any other poet : 
his is the imagination of a sublime instructor : we give our faith through 
duty as well as will. If our fancy flags we strain it, that we may appre- 
hend : we know that there is something which our conception ought to 
reach. There is not an idle word in any of the delineations which the bard 
exhibits ; nor is any picture merely addressed to the senses. Everything is 
invention — arising from novelty or complexity of combination ; nothing is a 
mere reflection from the mirror of the fancy. 

Milton early broke loose from the narrow bounds of observation, and ex- 
plored the trackless regions of air, and worlds of spirits — the good and the 
bad. There his pregnant imagination embodied new states of existence, 
and out of chaos drew form and life, and all that is grand, and beautiful, and 
godlike ; and yet, he so mingled them up with materials from the globe in 
which we are placed, that it is an unpardonable error to say that Paradise 
Lost contains little that is applicable to human interests. The human learn- 
ing, and human wisdom, contained in every page, are inexhaustible. On this 
account no other poem requires so many explanatory notes, drawn from all 
the most extensive stores of erudition. 



BOOK III. 113 

Of classical literature, and of the Italian poets, Milton was a perfect mas- 
ter. He often replenished his images and forms of expression from Homer 
and Virgil, and yet, never was a servile borrower. There is an added plea- 
sure to what in itself is beautiful from the happiness of his adaptations. 

I do not doubt that what he wrote was from a conjunction of genius, 
learning, art, and labour; but the grand source of all his poetical conception 
and language, was the Scripture. — E. B. 



Horace advises a poet to consider thoroughly the nature and force of his 
genius. Milton seems to have known perfectly well wherein his strength 
lay, and has, therefore, chosen a subject entirely conformable to those talents 
of which he was master. As his genius was wonderfully turned to the sub- 
lime, his subject is the noblest that could have entered into the thoughts of 
man. Everything that is truly great and astonishing, has a place in it. The 
whole system of the intellectual world — the Chaos and the Creation — 
Heaven, Earth, and Hell, enter into the constitution of this poem. 

Having, in the First and Second Books, represented the infernal world 
with all its horrors, the thread of his story naturally leads him into the op- 
posite regions of bliss and glory. — A. 
8 



BOOK III. 



Hail, holy Light, offspring of Heav'n first-born, 

Or of th' Eternal coeternal beam, 

May I express thee unblamed ? since Grod is Light, 

And never but in unapproached light 

Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, 5 

Bright effluence of bright essence increate. 

Or hear'st thou rather, pure ethereal stream, 

Whose fountain who shall tell ? Before the Sun, 

1. Hail, holy Light : An elegant apostrophe to light. How pathetic, says 
Dr. Thomas Brown, is the very heauty of this invocation, when we con- 
sider the feelings with which it must have been written by him, who, 
" Like the wakeful bird, 

Sung darkling," 

and who seems to have looked back on that loveliness of nature, from which 
he was separated, with the melancholy readiness, with which the thoughts 
of the unfortunate and the sorrowful still revert to past enjoyments ; as the 
prisoner, even when fettered to his dungeon-floor, still turns his eye, almost 
involuntarily, to that single gleani of light, which reminds him only of 
scenes that exist no longer to him. 

2-3. Milton questions whether he should address the light as the first-born 
of Heaven, or as the coeternal beam of the eternal Father, or as a pure 
etheral stream, whose fountain is unknown (7, 8) ; but, as the second appel- 
lation seems to ascribe a proper eternity to light, Milton very justly doubts 
whether he might use that without blame. — N. 

3-4. Compare with 1 John i. 5, and 1 Tim. vi. 16. 

6. Increate : Uncreated. See Book of Wisdom vii. 25, 26, which speaks 
of Wisdom in the same terms that are here applied to Light. 

7. Or hear 1 st thou rather : A Latin and Greek form of expression, mean- 
ing, or dost thou prefer to hear thyself described as a pure, &c 



BOOK III. 



115 



Before the Heav'ns thou wert, and at the voice 

Of God, as with a mantle, didst invest 10 

The rising world of waters dark and deep, 

"Won from the void and formless infinite. 

Thee I revisit now with bolder wing, 

Escaped the Stygian pool, though long detain'd 

In that obscure sojourn, while in my flight 15 

Through utter and through middle darkness borne 

With other notes than to th' Orphean lyre 

I sung of Chaos and eternal Night, 

Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down 

The dark descent, and up to re-ascend, 20 

Though hard and rare : thee I revisit safe, 

And feel thy sov'reign vital lamp : but thou 

Revisit'st not these eyes, that roll in vain 

To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn ; 

11. This line is borrowed from Spenser. 

12. Void: Desolate. It has not the sense of empty, for we have seen that 
Chaos was described as full of matter ; but it has the sense of unorganized, 
unarranged. Milton borrows this description of Chaos from the account 
which Moses gives of the earth at a certain period, " without form arid voidP 
It is called infinite from its unlimited extension downwards, while Heaven 
was equally unlimited upwards. 

16. That is, through Hell, which is often called utter {outer) darkness, and 
through the great gulf between Hell and Heaven, the middle darkness. — N. 

17. With other notes, fyc. : Orpheus, a celebrated Thracian poet and musi- 
cian, made a Hymn to Night, which is still extant ; and also wrote of the 
Creation out of Chaos. He was inspired by his mother, Calliope, only ; Mil- 
ton, by the heavenly Muse; therefore, he boasts that he sung with other 

(meaning better) notes than Orpheus, though the subjects were the same. — 
R. 

19. Heavenly Muse: The Holy Spirit, or, in imitation of the classical 
poets, Milton addresses one of those imaginary goddesses that preside over 
poetry and the fine arts. These, from the etymology of the word, are sup- 
posed to be nothing more than personifications of the inventive powers of 
the mind, as displayed in the several arts. 

21. An allusion to Virg. vi. 128 : 

'■ Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras, 
Hoc opus, hie labor est." 



116 PARADISE LOST. 

So thick a drop serene hath quench 'd their orbs, 25 

Or dim suffusion veil'd. Yet not the more 

Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt 

Clear spring, or shady grove, or sunny hill, 

Smit with the love of sacred song ; but chief 

Thee, Sion, and the flow'ry brooks beneath, 30 

That wash thy hallow'd feet, and warbling flow, 

Nightly I visit : nor sometimes forget 

Those other two equall'd with me in fate, 

So were I equall'd with them in renown, 

Blind Thamyris and blind Masonides, 35 

25. Drop-serene : A disease of the eye, affecting the retina. Dim suffu- 
sion : Supposed, in the time of Milton, to be caused by a film gradually cov- 
ering the front of the eye, but really caused by a change in the crystalline 
humour, called cataract. 

26. Di/rn suffusion : This line may best be explained by an extract from 
one of Milton's letters, written in 1654, about ten years after his sight began 
to be impaired, and when the left eye had become useless. He says of the 
other : " While I was perfectly stationary, everything seemed to swim back- 
wards and forwards ; and now, thick vapours appear to settle upon my fore- 
head and temples, which weigh down my eyes with an oppressive sense of 
drowsiness, so as frequently to remind me of Phineus, the Salmydessian, in 
the Argonautics. 

' In darkness swam his brain, and where he stood, 
The steadfast earth seemed rolling like a flood.' " 

He also says : " The constant darkness in which I live day and night, inclines 
more to a whitish than a blackish tinge ; and the eye, in turning itself 
round, admits, as through a narrow chink, a very small portion of light." 

27. Cease to wander : Forbear to wander ; I do it as much as I did before 
I was blind. — N. 

29. Smit, Ifc. : Virg. Georg. ii. 475.— N. 

30. Brooks, fyc. : Kedron and Siloah. He still was pleased to study the 
beauties of the ancient poets, but his highest delight was in the songs of 
Sion, in the holy Scriptures. — N. 

32. Nor, Sfc. : The same as, and sometimes not forget. Thus, in Latin, ncc 
and neque are frequently the same as et non. 

34. So : In like manner. Oh, that I were in like manner, &c. 

35-6. Thamyris : A Thracian poet, who had a contest of musical skill 
with the Muses, and being conquered, was, by them, deprived of sight for 
bis presumption. Mceonides : A surname of Homer, derived from his sup- 
posed birth in Mceonia. He is said to have become blind, by disease, at 



BOOK III. 3 17 

And Tiresias and Phineus prophets old : 
Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move 
Harmonious numbers ; as the wakeful bird 
Sings darkling, and in shadiest covert hid 

Ithaca Tiresias : A celebrated Theban prophet, of the cause of whose 
blindness various accounts are given. Phineus : A Thracian king, endowed 
with prophetic powers, who was rendered blind by the gods and tormented 
by the Harpies. 

36. The enemies of the blind poet cruelly taunted him, in their writ- 
ings, with his blindness, as a just affliction of Heaven for the active part 
which he took against Charles I. The Christian philosophy which he ex- 
hibits in one of his replies, is full of interest. He says . " It is not, how- 
ever, miserable to be blind ; he only is miserable who cannot acquiesce in 
his blindness with fortitude. And why should I repent at a calamity, which 
every man's mind ought to be so prepared and disciplined, as to be able, 
on the contingency of its happening, to undergo with patience : a calamity 
to which every man, by the condition of his nature, is liable, and which I 
know to have been the lot of some of the greatest and best of my species. 
Among those on whom it has fallen, I might reckon some of the remotest 
bards of remote antiquity, whose want of sight the gods are said to have 
compensated with extraordinary, and far more valuable endowments, and 
whose virtues were so venerated, that men would rather arraign' the gods 
themselves of injustice, than draw from the blindness of these admirable 
mortals, an argument of their guilt. What is handed down to us respecting 
the augur Tiresias is very commonly known. Of Phineus, Apollonius, in 
his Argonautics, thus sings : 

" Careless of Jove, in conscious virtue bold, 
His daring lips Heaven's sacred mind unfold. 
The god hence gave him years without decay 
But robbed his eye-balls of the pleasing day." 

37. Then feed, tifc. : Nothing could better express the musing thought ful- 
ness of a blind poet. It resembles a line in Speeser, whence it may have 
been borrowed. 

" I feed on sweet contentment of my thought." 

T. 

38. Harmonious numbers : The reader will observe the flowing of the 
numbers here with all the ease and harmony of the finest voluntary. The 
words seem, of themselves, to have fallen naturally into verse, almost with- 
out the poet's thinking of it. This harmony appears to the greater advan- 
tage for the roughness of some of the preceding verses, which is an artifice 
frequently practiced by Milton, to be careless of his numbers in some places 
the better to set off the musical flow of those which immediately follow. — 
N. 

39. Darkling : In the dark. 



118 PARADISE LOST. 

Tunes her nocturnal note. Thus with the year 40 

Seasons return, but not to me returns 

Day, or the sweet approach of ev'n or morn, 

Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose, 

Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine ; 

But cloud instead, and ever-during dark 45 

Surrounds me, from the cheerful ways of men 

Cut off, and for the Book of knowledge fair 

Presented with an universal blank 

Of Nature's works, to me expunged and rased, 

And Wisdom at one entrance quite shut out, 50 

So much the rather thou, celestial Light. 

Shine inward, and the mind through all her pow'rs 

Irradiate, there plant eyes ; all mist from thence 

Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell 

Of things invisible to mortal sight. 55 

Now had th' Almighty Father from above, 
From the pure empyrean where he sits 
High throned above all bight, bent down his eye, 
His own works and their works at once to view : 
About him all the sanctities of Heav'n 60 

Stood thick as stars, and from his sight received 
Beatitude past utterance ; on his right 
The radiant image of his glory sat, 
His only Son : on earth he first beheld 

Our two first parents, yet the only two 65 

Of mankind, in the happy garden placed, 

40. Thus with the year, fyc. : The following lines are exceedingly touching, 
and are also well adapted to awaken lively gratitude in the reader's mind for 
the preservation of the invaluable sense of sight, and for the innumerable 
pleasures and advantages which that sense conveys to the mind. See Book 
VII., note on line 26. 

47. For : Instead of. 

58. Bent down his eye, fyc. : The survey of the whole creation, and of 
everything that is transacted in it, is a prospect worthy of Omniscience, and 
as much above that in which Virgil has drawn his Jupiter, as the Christian 
idea of the Supreme Being is more rational and sublime than that of the 
Heathens. The particular objects on which he is described as casting his 
eye, are represented in the most beautiful and lively manner. — A. 



BOOK III. 



119 



Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, 

Uninterrupted joy, unrivall'd love, 

In blissful solitude. p He then survey'd 

Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there 70 

Coasting the wall of Heav'n on this side Night, 

In the dun air sublime, and ready now 

To stoop with wearied wings and willing feet 

On the bare outside of this world, that seem'd 

Firm land embosom 'd, without firmament, 75 

Uncertain which, in ocean or in air. 

Him God beholding from his prospect high, 

Wherein past, present, future, he beholds, 

Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake : 

Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage 80 

Transports our Adversary ? whom no bounds 
Prescribed, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains 
Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyss 
Wide interrupt can hold ; so bent he seems 
On desperate revenge, that shall redound 85 

Upon his own rebellious head. And now, 
Through all restraint broke loose, he wings his way 

74-5. The universe now appeared to Satan to be a solid globe, encom- 
passed on all sides, but whether with water or with air was uncertain ; yet, 
it was without firmament — that is, without any sphere of fixed stars over it, 
as is now over the earth. The sphere of fixed stars was itself compre- 
hended in it (in the world here spoken of) , and made a part of it. — N. 

79. 77ms to his only Son foreseeing spake: If Milton's majesty forsakes 
him anywhere, it is in those parts of his poem where the Divine Persons 
are introduced as speakers. The author seems to proceed with a kind of 
fear and trembling, while he describes the sentiments of the Almighty. He 
dares not give his imagination its full play, but chooses to confine himself to 
such thoughts as are drawn from the books of the most orthodox divines, 
and to such expressions as may be met with in Scripture. The beauties, 
therefore, which we are apt to look for in these speeches, are not of a 
poetical nature, nor so proper to fill the mind with sentiments of grandeur 
as with thoughts of devotion. The passions which they are designed to 
raise, are a divine love and a religious fear. — A . 

83. Main: Vast. 

84. Wide interrupt : Widely broken, and abounding in chasms. 



120 PARADISE LOST. 

Not far off Heav'n, in the precincts of light, 

Directly tow'rds the new-created world, 

And man there placed, with purpose to assay 90 

If him by force he can destroy, or worse, 

By some false guile pervert ; and shall pervert, 

For Man will hearken to his glozing lies, 

And easily transgress the sole command, 

Sole pledge of his obedience : So will fall, 95 

He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault ? 

Whose but his own ? Ingrate, he had of me 

All he could have ; I made him just and right, 

Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. 

Such I created all th' ethereal Pow'rs 100 

And Spirits, both them who stood and them who fail'd ; 

Freely they stood, who stood, — and fell, who fell. 

Not free, what proof could they have giv'n sincere 

Of true allegiance, constant faith, or love, 

Where only what they needs must do appear'd, 105 

Not what they would ? what praise could they receive ? 

What pleasure I from such obedience paid, 

When will and reason (reason also is choice) 

Useless and vain, of freedom both despoil'd, 

Made passive both, had served necessity, 110 

Not me ? They therefore, as to right belong'd, 

So were created, nor can justly accuse 

Their Maker, or their making, or their fate, 

As if predestination over-ruled 

93. Glozing: Flattering. 

96. Whose fault : The responsibility of the fall is here justly attributed to 
man, being based upon his freedom and capacity to act rightly, or otherwise. 

] 03. Not free : Not being free. 

108. Reason also is choice : Reason is connected with choice — is essential to 
the exercise of will. A passage from Milton's Areopagitica throws some 
light on the above expression: " When God gave him reason he gave him 
freedom to choose ; for reason is but choosing." 

114. jls if predestination : The particular beauty of the speeches in the 
Third Book, consists in that brevity and perspicuity of style, in which the 
poet has couched the greatest mysteries of Christianity, and drawn together, 



BOOK III. 121 

Their will, disposed by absolute decree 115 

Or high foreknowledge ; they themselves decreed 

Their own revolt, not I. If I foreknew, 

Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, 

"Which had no less proved certain unforeknown. 

So without least impulse or shadow of fate, • 120 

Or aught by me immutably foreseen, 

They trespass, authors to themselves in all 

Both what they judge and what they choose ; for so 

I form'd them free, and free they must remain, 

Till they enthrall themselves ; I else must change 125 

Their nature, and revoke the high decree 

Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain 'd 

Their freedom, they themselves ordain 'd their fall. 

The first sort by their own suggestion fell, 

Self-tempted, self-depraved : Man falls, deceived 130 

By th' other first : Man therefore shall find grace, 

The other none : in mercy and justice both, 

Through Heav'n and Earth, so shall my glory excel, 

in a regular scheme, the whole dispensation of Providence with respect to 
man. He has represented all the abstruse doctrines of predestination, free- 
will, and grace, as also the great points of incarnation and redemption (which 
naturally grow up in a poem that treats of the fall of man), with greal 
energy of expression, and in a clearer and stronger light than I ever met 
with in any other writer. As these points are dry in themselves, to the 
generality of readers, the concise and clear manner in which he has treated 
them, is very much to be admired, as is likewise that particular art which 
he has made use of in the interspersing of all those graces of poetry which 
the subject was capable of receiving. — A. See the note on line 172. 

It has been objected 1o Milton by Dr. Blair, that he is too frequently theo- 
logical and metaphysical ; but, on this point, there is ground for an opposite 
opinion. Why should not the poet be indulged in strains both theological 
and metaphysical, when treating upon a subject that lies at the foundation 
of revealed theology, and involves some of the most subtle operations of 
the human mind ? The Fall of Man, and the Loss of Paradise, could not 
have been treated with satisfactory fullness if the profound remarks of the 
poet relating to theology and mental philosophy had been omitted. 

117. If: Though. 

121. Immutably foreseen: So foreseen as to be immutable. — N. 

129. Tlt£ first sort.: The apostate angels 



122 PARADISE LOST. 

But mercy first and last shall brightest shine. 

Thus while God spake, ambrosial fragrance fhTd 135 

All Heav'n, and in the blessed Spirits elect 
Sense of new joy ineffable -diffused. 
Beyond compare the Son of God was seen 
Most glorious ; in him all his Father shone 
Substantially express'd ; and in his face 140 

Divine compassion visibly appear'd, 
Love without end, and without measure grace ; 
Which utt'ring, thus he to his Father spake : 

Father, gracious was that word which closed 
Thy sov'reign sentence, that Man should find grace ; 145 

For which both Heav'n and Earth shall high extol 
Thy praises, with th' innumerable sound 
Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne 
Encompass'd shall resound thee ever blest. 
For should Man finally be lost ; should Man, 150 

Thy creature late so loved, thy youngest son, 
Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd 
With his own folly ? that be from thee far, 
That far be from thee, Father, who art Judge 
Of all things made, and judgest only right. 155 

Or shall the Adversary thus obtain 
His end, and frustrate thine ? Shall he fulfil 
His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought, 
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom, 
Yet with revenge accomplish'd, and to Hell 160 

Draw after him the whole race of mankind 
By him corrupted ? Or, wilt thou thyself 
Abolish thy creation, and unmake, 
For him, what for thy glory thou hast made ? 

136. And in the blessed spirits, §c. : The effects of the speech just delivered, 
upon the blessed spirits, and in the Divine Person to whom it was addressed 
cannot but fill the mind of the reader with a secret pleasure and com- 
placency. — A. 

140. Substantially expressed: Heb. i. 1-3, 8. 

153. Far from thee: Gen. xviii. 25. 

163, &c. Matt, iii- 17; 1. Cor. i. 24; Rev. xix. 13. 



BOOK HI. 123 

So should thy goodness and thy greatness both 165 

Be question'd and blasphemed without defence. 

To whom the great Creator thus reply 'd : 
Son, in whom my soul hath chief delight, 
Son of my bosom, Son who art alone 

My word, my wisdom, and effectual might, 170 

All hast thou spoken as my thoughts are ; all 
As my eternal purpose hath decreed. 
Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will. 
Yet not of will in him, but grace in me 

Freely vouchsafed. Once more I will renew 175 

His lapsed pow'rs, though forfeit and enthrall'd 
By sin to foul exorbitant desires : 
Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand 
On even ground against his mortal foe, 

By me upheld, that he may know how frail 180 

His fall'n condition is, and to me owe 
All his deliv'rance, and to none but me 
Some I have chosen of peculiar grace 
Elect above the rest ; so is my will : 

The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd 185 

Their sinful state, and to appease betimes 
Th' incensed Deity, while offer'd grace 
Invites ; for I will clear their senses dark, 
What may suffice, and soften stony hearts 
To pray, repent, and bring obedience due. 190 

To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due, 
Though but endeavour'd with sincere intent, 
Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut. 
And I will place within them as a guide 
My umpire Conscience ; whom if they will hear, 195 

170. My word, my wisdom: John i. 1. 

17'2. Eternal purpose : Ephes. i. 4, 11; ii. 7-10; Rom. ix. 15, 16. 
180. Upheld: Compare this with line 178, and remark the happy effect of 
changing the position of this word in the two lines. 
189. Stony: Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 
195. Rom. ii. 14, 15. 



124 PARADISE LOST. 

Light after light well used they shall attain, 

And, to the end persisting, safe arrive. 

This my long suffrance and my day of grace 

They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste ; 

But hard be harden'd, blind be blinded more, 200 

That they may stumble on, and deeper fall : 

And none but such from mercy I exclude. 

But yet all is not done : Man disobeying, 

Disloyal breaks his fealty, and sins 

Against the High Supremacy of Heav'n, 205 

Affecting Godhead, and so losing all, 

To expiate his treason hath nought left, 

But to destruction sacred and devote, 

He, with his whole posterity, must die 5 

Die he or justice must ; unless for him 210 

Some other able, and as willing, pay 

The rigid satisfaction, death for death. 

Say, heav'nly Pow'rs, where shall we find such love ? 

Which of ye will be mortal to redeem 

Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to save ? 215 

Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear ? 

He ask'd ; but all the heav'nly choir stood mute, 
And silence was in Heav'n : on Man's behalf 
Patron or intercessor none appear'd, 

Much less that durst upon his own head draw 220 

The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set. 
And now without redemption all mankind 
Must have been lost, adjudged to Death and Hell 
By doom severe, had not the Son of God, 
In whom the fulness dwells of love divine, 225 

His dearest mediation thus renew'd : 

Father, thy word is past, Man shall find grace ; 

199. Matt. xiii. 14-16; Luke xiv. 24; Acts xiii. 41. 
208. Devote: Devoted. 
210. Heb. ix. 22, 28; x. 4-7. 

217. Choir stood mute: This is a beautiful circumstance; the occasion was 
a lit one to produce such silence in heaven. Rev. viii. 1. 



BOOK III. 125 

And shall grace not find means, that finds her way, 

The speediest of thy winged messengers, 

To visit all thy creatures, and to all 230 

Comes unprevented, unimplored, unsought ? 

Happy for man, so coming : he her aid 

Can never seek, once dead in sins and lost : 

Atonement for himself or ofPring meet, 

Indebted and undone, hath none to bring. 235 

Behold me then ; me for him, life for life 

I offer : on me let thine anger fall ; 

Account me Man : I for his sake will leave 

Thy bosom, and this glory next to thee 

Freely put off, and for him lastly die 240 

Well pleased : on me let Death wreak all his rage : 

Under his gloomy pow'r I shall not long 

Lie vancpuish'd : thou hast given me to possess 

Life in myself for ever ; by thee I live, 

Though now to Death I yield, and am his due 245 

All that of me can die ; yet that debt paid, 

Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave 

His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul 

For ever with corruption there to dwell ; 

But I shall rise victorious, and subdue 250 

My Vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil ; 

Death his death's wound shall then receive, and stoop 

231. Unprevented: Not preceded by anything, by any effort in man. 

236. The frequent repetition of me, reminds one of a line in Virgil's ^Eneid, 
Book ix. 427. " Me, me, adsum qui feci in me convertite ferrum." 

241. Wreak: Inflict, 1 Pet. iii. 18. 

244. John v. 26. 

249. Corruption: Decomposition of the body, Acts ii. 25-31. 

250-1. It has been objected to Milton's story that the hero is unsuccessful, 
and by no means a match for his enemies. This gave occasion to Dryden's 
reflection that Satan was in reality Milton's hero. To this it may be re- 
plied, that Paradise Lost is a narrative poem, and he that looks for a hero in 
it searches for that which Milton never intended; but if he is determined to 
fix the name of a hero upon any person in it, the Messiah is certainly the 
hero, both in the principal action and in the chief episodes. — A 



126 PARADISE LOST. 

Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarm 'd. 

I through the ample air in triumph high 

Shall lead Hell captive maugre Hell, and shew 255 

The Pow'rs of darkness bound. Thou at the sight 

Pleased, out of Heav'n shalt look down and smile, 

While by thee raised I ruin all my foes, 

Death last, and with his carcase glut the grave : 

Then with the multitude of my redeem'd 260 

Shall enter Heav'n long absent, and return, 

Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud 

Of anger shall remain, but peace assured 

And reconcilement ; wrath shall be no more 

Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire. 265 

His words here ended, but his meek aspect 
Silent yet spake, and breath'd immortal love 
To mortal men, above which only shone 
Filial obedience : as a sacrifice 

Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will 270 

Of his great Father. Admiration seized 
All Heav'n, what this might mean, and whither tend, 
Wond'ring ; but soon th' Almighty thus reply'd : 

thou in Heav'n and Earth the only peace 
Found out for mankind under wrath ! thou 275 

My sole complacence ! well thou know'st how dear 

253. See 1 Cor. xv. 55-7. 

255. Maugre Hell: In spite of Hell, Ps. lxviii. 18; Eph. iv. 8; Col. ii. 15. 

266. What a charming and lovely picture has Milton given us of God the 
Son, considered as our Saviour and Redeemer ! not in t'he least inferior in its 
way to that grander one in the Sixth Book, where he describes him clothed 
with majesty and terror, taking vengeance of his enemies. Before he repre- 
sents him speaking, he makes " divine compassion, love without end, and 
grace without measure, visibly to appear in his face," (140); and carrying 
on the same lovely picture, makes him end it with a countenance "breath- 
ing immortal love to mortal men." Nothing could be better contrived to 
leave a deep impression upon the reader's mind ; and I believe one may ven- 
ture to assert, that no art or words could lift the imagination to a stronger 
idea of a good and benevolent being. There is a muto eloquence prettily 
expressed by the poet in his " Silent, yet spake." — T. 

269. John iv. 34; Ps. xl. 6, &c. 



BOOK III. 127 

To me are all my works, nor Man the least, 

Though last created ; that for him I spare 

Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save, 

By losing thee a while, the whole race lost. 2S0 

Thou therefore whom thou only canst redeem, 

Their nature also to thy nature join ; 

And be thyself Man among men on earth, 

Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed, 

By wondrous birth : be thou in Adam's room 2S5 

The Head of all mankind, though Adam's son. 

As in him perish all men, so in thee, 

As from a second root, shall be restored 

As many as are restored ; without thee none. 

His crime makes guilty all his sons ; thy merit 290 

Imputed shall absolve them who renounce 

Their own both righteous and unrio-hteous deeds, 

And live in thee transplanted, and from thee 

Receive new life. So Man, as is most just, 

Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die, 295 

And dying rise, and rising with him raise 

His brethren ransom'd with his own dear life. 

So heav'nly love shall outdo hellish hate, 

Giving to death, and dying to redeem, 

So dearly to redeem what hellish hate 300 

So easily destroy'd, and still destroys 

In those who, when they may, accept not grace. 

Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume 

Man's nature, lessen or degrade thine own. 

Because thou hast, though throned in highest bliss 305 

276. Mat. iii. 17. 

277. Least : Least dear. 

281-2. John i. 14; Heb. ii. 16. These lines may he transposed to exhibit 
the true meaning : " Thou therefore, join to thy nature the nature also of 
thein whom thou only canst redeem." 

287. 1 Cor. xv. 21-2. 

290. Rom. v. 12-19. 

301. The language is here accommodated to the eternity of the speaker, to 
whom past, present, and future are one. — S. 



128 PARADISE LOST. 

Equal to God, and equally enjoying 

God-like fruition, quitted all to save 

A world from utter loss, and hast been found 

By merit more than birthright, Son of God, 

Found worthiest to be so by being good, 310 

Far more than great or high ; because in thee 

Love hath abounded more than glory 'bounds, 

Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt 

With thee thy manhood also to this throne : 

Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt reign 315 

Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man, 

Anointed Universal King : all pow'r 

I give thee ; reign for ever, and assume 

Thy merits ; under thee as Head Supreme 

Thrones, Princedoms, Pow'rs, Dominions I reduce : 320 

All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide 

In Heav'n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell. 

When thou attended gloriously from Heav'n 

Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send 

The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim 325 

Thy dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds 

The living, and forthwith the cited dead 

Of all past ages, to the gen'ral doom 

Shall hasten ; such a peal shall rouse their sleep. 

Then all thy saints assembled, thou shalt judge 330 

Bad men and Angels ; they arraign'd shall sink 

Beneath thy sentence : Hell, her numbers full, 

Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while 

The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring 

New Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell, 335 

And after all their tribulations long 

See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, 

306-319. Phil. ii. 6-11 ; Eph. i. 20-23. 

328. Mat. xxv. 31-46 ; 2 Thess. i. 7-9 ; Mat. v. 28, 29. 

334. 2 Peter iii. 10-13. 

335. See Dr. Chalmers's sermon on this subject. " Heaven and Earth" 
denote the entire creation. 



BOOK III. 129 

With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth. 

Then thou thy regal sceptre shalt lay by, 

For regal sceptre then no more shall need, 340 

God shall be All in All. But all ye Gods, 

Adore him, who to compass all this dies : 

Adore the Son, and honour him as me. 

No sooner had th' Almighty ceased, but all 
The multitude of Angels, with a shout 345 

Loud as from numbers without number, sweet 
As from blest voices, utt'ring joy, Heav'n rung 
With jubilee, and loud Hosannas fill'd 
Th' eternal regions : lowly reverent 

Tow'rds either throne they bow, and to the ground 350 

With solemn adoration down they cast 
Their crowns, inwove with amarant and gold ; 
Immortal amarant; a flow'r which once 
In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, 

Began to bloom ; but soon, for man's offence, 355 

To Heav'n removed, where first it grew, there grows, 
And flow'rs aloft, shading the fount of life, 
And where the riv'r of bliss through midst of Heav'n 

337. Golden : Virgil's Eclog. iv. 9. " Toto surget gens aurea mundo." 
341. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25. 

343. Heb. i. 6. 

344. If the reader pleases to compare this divine dialogue with the 
speeches of the gods in Homer, he will find the Christian poet to transcend 
the heathen, as much as the religion of the one surpasses that of the others. 
Their deities talk and act like men, but Milton's Divine Persons are Divine 
Persons indeed, and talk in the language of God, that is, in the language or 
spirit of Scripture. — N. 

345. The construction is this : " All the multitude of angels uttering joy 
with a shout loud. &c. 

351. Rev. iv. 10. 357. Ps. xxxvi. 8, 9; Rev. vii. 17; xxii. 1. 

353. 1 Pet. i. 4. v. 4. The amarant, or amaranth, is an imaginary flower, 
the beauty of which never fades. 

358. Elysian : An allusion to the Elysian Fields, or abodes of the blessed, 
of classical mythology. At first these were located upon islands in the At- 
lantic Ocean not far from the Straits of Gibraltar ; but. with the increase of 
9 



130 PARADISE LOST. 

Rolls o'er Elysian flow'rs her amber stream ; 

With these, that never fade, the Spirits elect 360 

Bind their resplendent locks inwreath'd with beams, 

Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright 

Pavement, that like a sea of jasper shone, 

Impurpled with celestial roses smiled. 

Then crown'd again, their golden harps they took, 365 

Harps ever tuned, that glitt'ring by their side 

Like quivers hung, and with preamble sweet 

Of charming symphony they introduce 

Their sacred song, and waken raptures high ; 

No voice exempt, no voice but well could join 370 

Melodious part, — such concord is in Heav'n. 

Thee, Father, first they sung, Omnipotent, 
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite, 
Eternal King ; thee, Author of all being, 
Fountain of Light, thyself invisible 375 

Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sitt'st 
Throned inaccessible, but when thou shad'st 
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud 
Drawn round about thee like a radiant shrine, 

geographical knowledge, these fields of bliss were transferred to the lower 
world, in a region supposed to be favoured with perpetual spring, clothed with 
continual verdure, enamelled with flowers, shaded by pleasant groves, and 
refreshed by never-failing fountains. Here the righteous lived in perfect felicity^ 
communing with each other, bathed in a flood of light proceeding from their 
own sun, and the sky at eve being lighted up by their own constellations : 
Solemque suum, sua sidera norunt." (Virgil iEn. vi. 641.) Their employ- 
ments below resembled those of earth, and whatever had warmly engaged 
their attention in the upper world, continued to be a source of virtuous enjoy- 
ment in the world below. (Virg. JEn. vi. 653.) — Anthon. 

359. Amber stream : So called, not at all on account of its color, but of its 
clearness and transparency. Virgil (Georg. iii. 522) says of a river, 

'• Purior electro campum petit amnis.-' 

N. 

360. These refers to floioers (359) . 

363. Sea of jasper : Jasper is a precious stone of several colours ; but the 
green is most esteemed, and bears some resemblance to the sea. — N. 

377. But : Except. The meaning is, Thou art accessible only when thou 
shadest. &c. 



EOOK III. 131 

Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear, 380 

Yet dazzle Heav'n, that brightest Seraphim 

Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes. 

Thee, next they sa'ng, of all creation first, 

Begotten Son, Divine Similitude, 

In whose conspicuous count'nance, without cloud 3St> 

Made visible, th' Almighty Father shines, 

Whom else no creature can behold : on thee 

Impress'd th' effulgence of his glory 'bides, 

Transfused on thee his ample Spirit rests. 

He Heav'n of Heav'ns and all the Pow'rs therein 390 

By thee created, and by thee threw down 

Th' aspiring Dominations : thou that day 

Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare, 

Nor stop thy flaming chariot-wheels, that shook 

Heav'n's everlasting frame, while o'er the necks 395 

Thou drov'st of warring Angels disarray'd. 

Back from pursuit thy Pow'rs with loud acclaim 

Thee only extoll'd Son of thy Father's might, 

To execute fierce vengeance on his foes, 

Not so on Man : Him thro' their malice fall'n, 400 

Father of mercy and grace, thou didst not doom 

So strictly, but much more to pity incline ; 

No sooner did thy dear and only Son 

Perceive thee purposed not to doom frail Man 

380. Dark, fyc. : Milton has the same thought of darkness occasioned by 
glory, in Book V. 599 : " brightness had made invisible," an expression which 
sheds light upon the meaning of the poet here ; the excess of brightness had 
the effect of darkness — invisibility. What an idea of glory ! the skirts only 
not to be looked on by the beings nearest to God, but when doubly or trebly 
shaded by a cloud and both wings. What then is the full blaze ! — R. 

382. See Isaiah's Vision, vi. 1-3. 1- 

383. Col. i. 15, 16; John i. 1-3. 

387. Else : In no other manner can any creature behold the Father. 

388. Heb. i. 3. 

389. John iii. 34-5. 

397-8. Thy Powers extolled Thee only, (returning) back from pursuit. 
He had achieved the conquest alone. Book VI. 880. 



132 PARADISE LOST. 

So strictly, but much more to pity inclined, 405 

He to appease thy wrath, and end the strife 

Of mercy and justice in thy face discern'd, 

Regardless of the bliss wherein he sat 

Second to thee, offer'd himself to die 

For man's offence. unexampled love ! 410 

Love no where to be found less than Divine ! 

Hail Son of God, Saviour of Men, thy name 

Shall be the copious matter of my song 

Henceforth, and never shall my harp thy praise 

Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoin. 415 

Thus they in Heav'n, above the starry sphere, 
Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent. 
Mean while upon the firm opacous globe 
Of this round world, whose first convex divides 
The luminous inferior orbs, inclosed 420 

From Chaos and th' inroad of Darkness old, 
Satan alighted walks : a globe far off 

406. "Than" or "but" is understood before "he," to complete the 
sense. — N. 

414. Harp thy praise: Rev. iv. 10, 11 ; v. 11-14. 

419. First convex divides. Arc. : Milton frequently uses the words sphere, 
orb, globe, convex, as synonymous, and by them generally expresses the 
idea of a hollow crystalline sphere — of which, according to the old astronomy, 
there were several. The outermost one is here intended, but was opaque, 
and separated Chaos from the solar system, which it included. 

421. Chaos: Matter was supposed to exist in a confused, unorganized state 
originally, and was designated by this name. A certain portion of this was 
separated into its different kinds, and reduced to order and form by the power 
of God. 

422. Satan alighted walks : Satan's walk upon the outside of the universe, 
which at a distance appeared to him of a globular form, but upon his nearer 
approach looked like an unbounded plain, is natural and noble; as his roam- 
ing upon the frontiers of the creation, between that mass of matter which 
was wrought into a world, and that shapeless unformed heap of materials 
which still lay in chaos and confusion, strikes the imagination as something 
astonishingly great and wild. Upon this outermost surface of the universe 
the poet creates the Limbo of Vanity, respecting which some remarks will 
be made. — A. 



BOOK III. 133 

It seem'd, now seems a boundless continent 

Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night 

Starless exposed, and ever-threat'ning storms 425 

Of Chaos blust'ring round, inclement sky ; 

Save on that side which from the wall of Heav'n, 

Though distant far, some small reflection gains 

Of glimm'ring air less vex'd with tempest loud : 

Here walk'd the Fiend at large in spacious field. 430 

As when a vulture on Imaus bred, 

Whose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, 

Dislodging from a region scarce of prey 

To gorge the flesh of lambs or yeanling kids 

On hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the springs 435 

Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams ; 

But in his way lights on the barren plains 

Of Sericana, where Chineses drive 

With sails and wind their cany wagons light : 

So on this windy sea of land, the Fiend 440 

Walk'd up and down alone, bent on his prey : 

Alone ; for other creature in this place, 

Living or lifeless, to be found was none ; 

431-441. As when a vulture, fyc. : This simile is very apposite and lively. 
Satan, coming from Hell to Earth, in order to destroy mankind, but lighting 
first on the bare convex of this world's outermost orb (the outermost orb of 
creation) — a sea of land, as the poet calls it — is very fitly compared to a 
vulture flying, in quest of his prey, tender lambs or kids new yeaned, from 
the barren rocks to the more fruitful hills and streams of India, but lighting 
in his way on the plains of Sericana, which were, in a manner, a sea of land, 
too, the country being so smooth and open that carriages were driven (as 
travellers report) with sails and wind. Imaus is a celebrated mountain in 
Asia ; its name signifies snowy, and hence, its snowy ridge is spoken of. It is 
the eastern boundary of the Western Tartars, who are called roving, as they 
live chiefly in tents, and remove from place to place for the convenience of 
pasturage. Ganges and Hydaspes are rivers of India, the latter being a 
tributary to the river Indus. Scrica is a region between China on the eas* 
and the mountain Imaus on the west. What our author here says of the 
Chineses, seems to have been derived from Heylin's Cosmography. — N. 

432 Bounds: Confines 

433. Dislodging : Removing. 

434 Yeanling: Young. 



134 • PARADISE LOST. 

None yet, but store hereafter from the earth 

Up hither like aereal vapours flew 445 

Of all things transit'ry and vain, when sin 

With vanity had fill'd the works of men ; 

Both all things vain, and all who in vain things 

Built their fond hopes of glory, or lasting fame, 

Or happiness, in this or th' other life ; 450 

All who have their reward on earth, the fruits 

Of painful superstition and blind zeal, 

Nought seeking but the praise of men, here find 

Fit retribution, empty as their deeds : 

All th' unaccomplish'd works of Nature's hand, 455 

Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mix'd, 

Dissolved on earth, fleet hither, and in vain, 

Till final dissolution, wander here ; 

Not in the neighb'ring moon, as some have dream'd ; 

Those argent fields more likely habitants, 460 

Translated Saints or middle Spirits, hold 

457. In vain : At random, in the sense of the Latin frustra, fortuito. 

459. Not in the moon, Sfc. : Ariosto, in his Orlando Furioso, gives a much 
longer description of things lost on earth and treasured up in the moon, than 
Milton here furnishes. A specimen is subjoined, in Harrington's trans- 
lation : 

" A storehouse strange, that what on earth is lost 
By fault, by time, by fortune, there is found ; 
Nor speak I sole of wealth, or things of cost, 
In which blind fortune's pow'r doth most abound, 
But e'en of things quite out of fortune's pow'r, 
Which wilfully we waste each day and hour : 
The precious time that fools mispend in play, 
The vain attempts that never take effect, 
The vows that sinners make and never pay, 
The counsels wise th'it careless men neglect, 
The fond desires that lead us oft astray, 
* »**♦** 

May there be found unto this place ascending." 
The same notion is amply set forth in Pope's Rape of the Lock, Canto V. 
— N. 

460. Jlrgent : Bright like silver. The moon may be inhabited ; but, as 
Newton suggests, it is greatly to be questioned whether the notion here ex- 
pressed by the poet is true, that its inhabitants are translated saints, or spirits 
of a middle nature between angels and men. 



BOOK III. 135 

Betwixt th' angelical and human kind. 

Hither of ill-join'd sons and daughters born 

First from the ancient world those giants came, 

With many a vain exploit, though then renown'd : 465 

The builders next of Babel on the plain 

Of Sennaar, and still with vain design 

New Babels, had they wherewithal, would build : 

Others came single ; he who to be deem'd 

A God, leap'd fondly into iEtna flames, 470 

Empedocles ; and he who to enjoy 

Plato's Elysium, leap'd into the sea, 

Cleombrotus ; and many more too long, 

Embryos and idiots, eremites and friars 

White, black and grey, with all their trumpery. 475 

Here Pilgrims roam, that stray'd so far to seek 

463. The sons of God, ill-joined with the daughters of men, alluding to 
Gen. vi. 4 ; the posterity of Seth, who worshipped the true God, and are, 
therefore, called the sons of God, intermarried with the idolatrous posterity 
of the apostate Cain. — N. 

467. Sennaar, or Shinar, both names denoting a province of Babylonia. 
Milton here, as in many other instances, follows the Vulgate, in writing the 
names of places. — N. 

470. Empedocles : A Sicilian philosopher, who flourished about 450 b. c, 
and became highly distinguished for his various attainments in science. The 
story alluded to in the text is, that he threw himself into the burning crater 
of Mount ./Etna, in order that, the manner of his death not being known, he 
might afterwards pass for a god ; but the secret was discovered by the 
ejection of one of his brass sandals in a subsequent eruption of the volcano. 
Horace alludes to the story in his Art of Poetry, 464. 

473. Cleombrotus was a young man, who, having been deeply interested 
with Plato's reflections on the immortality of the soul, leaped into the sea, 
'hat he might at once enjoy the felicity mentioned. — S. 

473. Too long : That is, too long a number to describe. 

475. White, Sfc. : So named from the dresses which they wore : white 
liars, or Carmelites ; black friars, or Dominicans ; grey friars, or Franciscans ; 
names derived from Carmel — where the first pretend their order was insti- 
tuted — from St. Dominic and St. Francis, the founders of the other two 
respectively. Our author here, as elsewhere, shows his dislike and abhor- 
rence of the Church of Rome, by placing the religious orders, with all their 
trumpery, cowls, hoods, &c, in the Paradise of Fools, and making them the 
principal objects there. — N. 



136 PARADISE LOST. 

In Golgotha him dead, who lives in Heav'n ; 

And they who, to be sure of Paradise, 

Dying put on the weeds of Dominic, 

Or in Franciscan think to pass disguised : 480 

They pass the planets sev'n, and pass the fix'd, 

And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs 

The trepidation talked, and that first moved ; 

And now Saint Peter at Heav'n 's wicket seems 

To wait them with his keys, and now at foot 485 

Of Heav'n's ascent they lift their feet, when lo, 

A violent cross wind from either coast 

481-3. They pass the planets seven : Our planetary or solar system ; and 
beyond this pass the fixed, the firmament, or sphere of the fixed stars ; and 
beyond this, that crystalline sphere — the crystalline Heaven, clear as crystal — 
to which the Ptolemaic astronomers attributed a sort of libration, or shaking 
(the trepidation so much talked of) , to account for (or counterpoise) certain 
irregularities in the motion of the stars ; and beyond this, the first mov'd, the 
primum mobile, the sphere which was both the first moved and the first 
mover, communicating its motions to all the lower spheres ; and beyond this 
was the empyrean Heaven, the seat of God and the angels. — N. 

482. Crystalline sphere : The opinions of Pythagoras on the system of the 
world, with few exceptions were founded in truth ; yet they were rejected 
by Aristotle, and by most succeeding astronomers, down to the time of 
Copernicus, and in their place was substituted the doctrine of crystalline 
spheres, first taught by Eudoxus, who lived about 370 b. c. According to 
this system, the heavenly bodies are set like gems in hollow solid orbs, com- 
posed of crystal so transparent, that no anterior orb obstructs in the least the 
view of any of the orbs that lie behind it. The sun and the planets have 
each its separate orb ; but the fixed stars are all set in the same grand orb ; 
and beyond this is another still, the primum mobile, which revolves daily 
from east to west, and carries along with it all the other orbs. Above the 
whole spreads the grand empyrean, or third heavens, the abode of perpetual 
serenity. 

To account for the planetary motions, it was supposed that each of the 
planetary orbs, as well as that of the sun, has a motion of its own, eastward, 
while it partakes of the common diurnal motion of the starry sphere. Aris- 
totle taught that these motions are effected by a tutelary genius of each 
planet, residing in it, and directing its motions, as the mind of man directs 
its movements. — Olmsted's Letters on Astronomy. 

484. The poet here turns into ridicule the false assumption that Peter, and 
those who claim to be his spiritual successors, are exclusively intrusted with 
the keys of Heaven. 



BOOK III 137 

Blows them transverse ten thousand leagues awry 

Into the devious air ; then might ye see 

Cowls, hoods, and "habits, with their wearers, tost 490 

And flutter 'd into rags ; then reliques, beads, 

Indulgences, dispenses, pardons, bulls, 

The sport of winds : all these upwhirl'd aloft 

Fly o'er the backside of the world far off 

Into a Limbo large and broad, since call'd 495 

The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown 

Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod. 

All this dark globe the Fiend found as he pass'd, 

And long he wander'd, till at last a gleam 

488. Awry: Aside. 

489. Devious: Out of the way, remote. 

489. Then might ye see : That is, if you had been there ; or, the expression 
simply means, then might be seen. 

490-49G. Ludicrous sentiments are unnatural in an epic poem, because 
they do not naturally occur while one is composing it ; and hence (as Dr. 
Beattie remarks) , the humorous description of the Limbo of Vanity, how- 
ever just as an allegory, however poignant as a satire, ought not to have ob- 
tained a place in Paradise Lost. Such a thing might suit the volatile genius 
of Ariosto and his followers, but is quite unworthy of the sober and well- 
principled disciple of Homer and Virgil. 

493. Sport : Vjrg. JEn. vi. 75, " Ludibria ventis." 

494. The " world' 1 '' here mentioned is not our earth, but the hollow, opaque 
sphere outside of the starry heavens (422-425). 

495. The word Limbo (from the Latin limbus, a hem or edge) is a region 
which was supposed by some of the school theologians to lie on the edge or 
neighbourhood of Hell. This served as a receptacle for the souls of just men, 
who were not admitted into Purgatory or Heaven. Such were, according to 
some Christian writers, the patriarchs, and other pious ancients, who died 
before the birth of Christ ; hence, the Limbo was called the Lirnbus Pa- 
trum. These, it was believed, would be liberated at Christ's second coming, 
and admitted to the privileges of the blessed in Heaven. 

Dante has fixed his Limbo, in which the distinguished spirits of antiquity are 
confined, as the outermost of the circles of his Hell. The use which Milton 
has made of the same superstitious belief is seen in this passage. — Brande. 

499. Till at last a gleam, &fc. : Satan, after having long wandered upon the 
surface or outermost wall of the organized universe, discovers, at last, a wide 
gap in it, which led into the creation, and is described as the opening 



138 PARADISE LOST. 

Of dawning light turn'd thitherward in haste 500 

His travell'd steps : far distant he descries 

Ascending by degrees magnificent 

Up to the wall of Heav'n a structure high ; 

At top whereof, but far more rich, appear'd 

The work as of a kingly palace gate, 505 

With frontispiece of diamond and gold 

Embellish'd : thick with sparkling orient gems 

The portal shone, inimitable on earth 

By model, or by shading pencil drawn. 

The stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw 510 

Angels ascending and descending, bands 

Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled 

To Padan-Aram, in the field of Luz 

Dreaming by night under the open sky, 

And waking cry'd, This is the gate of Heav'n. 515 

Each stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood 

There always, but drawn up to Heav'n sometimes 

Viewless : and underneath a bright sea flow'd 

Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon 

Who after came from earth, sailing arrived, 520 

Wafted by Angels, or flew o'er the lake 

Rapt in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds. 

The stairs were then let down, whether to dare 

The Fiend by easy 'scent, or aggravate 

His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss : 525 

Direct against which open'd from beneath, 

Just o'er the blissful seat of Paradise, 

through which the angels pass to and fro into the lower world, upon their 
errands to mankind. — A. 

506-7. These lines are an imitation of Ovid, Met. ii. 1 : 
" Regia solis erat sublimibus alta columnis, 
Clara micante auro, flammasque imitante pyropo." 

510. Stairs: See Gen. xxviii. 11-17. 

516. Each stair (the stairs line 510) was designed for some secret pur- 
pose. 

518. The author, in the " Argument" of this Book, explains the sea to 
mean, the water above the firmament. 



BOOK III. 139 

A passage down to th' Earth, a passage wide, 

Wider by far than that of after-times 

Over mount S ion, -and, though that were large, 530 

Over the Promised Land, to God so dear, 

By which, to visit oft those happy tribes, 

On high behests his Angels to and fro 

Pass'd frequent, and his eye with choice regard 

From Paneas the fount of Jordan's flood 535 

To Beersaba, where the Holy Land 

Borders on Egypt and th' Arabian shore . 

So wide the op'ning seem'd, where bounds were set 

To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave. 

Satan from hence, now on the lower stair 540 

That scaled by steps of gold to Heaven gate, 

Looks down with wonder at the sudden view 

Of all this world at once. As when a scout 

Through dark and desert ways with peril gone • 

All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn 545 

Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill, 

Which to his eye discovers unaware 

The goodly prospect of some foreign land 

First seen, or some renown'd metropolis 

With glist'ring spires and pinnacles adorn'd, 550 

Which now the rising Sun gilds with his beams : 

Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen, 

The Spirit malign, but much more envy seized, 

534. After regard, supply the words " passed frequent." 

535. Paneas : The modern name, Banias. It was once called Caesarea- 
Philippi, and is securely embosomed among mountains, being at the head of 
one of the principal branches of the Jordan. 

542. Looks dawn, fyc. : His sitting upon the brink of this passage, an<\ 
taking a survey of the whole face of nature, that appeared to him new and 
fresh in all its beauties, with the simile illustrating this circumstance, fills 
the mind of the reader with as surprising and glorious an idea as any that 
arises in the whole poem. He looks down into that vast hollow of the 
universe with the eye (or, as Milton calls it in his First Book , with the 
ken, of an angel. He surveys all the wonders in this immense amphi- 
theatre, that lie between both the poles of Heaven, and takes in, at one 
view, the whole round of the creation. — A. 



140 PARADISE LOST. 

At sight of all this world beheld so fair. 

Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood 555 

So high above the circling canopy 

Of Night's extended shade) from eastern point 

Of Libra to the fleecy star that bears 

Andromeda far off Atlantic seas 

Beyond th' horizon ; then from pole to pole 560 

He views in breadth, and without longer pause 

Down right into the world's first region throws 

555-561. Satan is here represented as taking a view of the whole crea- 
tion from east to west, and then from north to south ; but poetry delights to 
say the most common things in an uncommon manner. He surveys from 
eastern point of Libra : One of the twelve signs, exactly opposite to Aries, to 
the fleecy star, Aries or the Ram — that is, from east to west ; for when 
Libra rises in the east Aries sets in the western horizon. Aries is said to bear 
Andromeda, because that constellation, represented as a woman, is placed 
just over Aries, and, therefore, when Aries sets he seems to bear Andro- 
meda far off Atlantic seas, the great western ocean, beyond tti horizon. 
Then from pole to pole he views in breadth : That is, from north to south ; and 
that is said to be in breadth, because the ancients knowing more of the 
earth from east to west than from north to south, and so, having a much 
greater journey one way than the other, one was called length, or longitude, 
the other breadth, or latitude. — N. 

555-568, &c. The verse in this exquisitely-moulded passage, says Hazlitt, 
floats up and down as if itself had wings. The sound of Milton's lines is 
moulded often into the expression of the sentiment, almost of the very 
image. They rise or fall, pause, or hurry rapidly on, with exquisite art, 
but without the least trick or affectation, as the occasion seems to require. 
See a beautiful instance, Book I. 732-747 ; 762-787. 

562—4. Satan, having surveyed the whole creation, without longer pause, 
throws himself into it, and is described as making two different motions. 
At first he drops down perpendicularly some way into it, down right, &c, 
and afterwards winds his oblique way, turns and winds this way and that in 
order to espy the seat of man ; for though in 527 it is said that the passage 
was just over Paradise, yet it is evident that Satan did not know it. The 
air is compared to marble for its clearness and whiteness, without any re- 
gard to its hardness. The Latin word marmor, marble, is derived from a 
Greek word that signifies to shine and glisten. Virgil uses the expression 
of the marble sea, and Shakspeare speaks of the marble air. It is common 
with the ancients, and with those who write in the spirit and manner of the 
ancients, in their metaphors and similes, if they agree in the main circum- 
stances, to have no regard to lesser particulars. — N. 



BOOK III. 141 

His flight precipitant, and winds with ease 

Through the pure marble air his oblique way 

Amongst innumer.able stars, that shone 565 

Stars distant, but nigh hand seem'd other worlds ; 

Or other worlds they seem'd, or happy isles, 

Like those Hesperian gardens famed of old, 

Fortunate fields, and groves, and flow'ry vales, 

Thrice happy isles ; but who dwelt happy there 570 

He stay'd not to inquire : above them all 

The golden Sun, in splendour likest Heav'n, 

Allur'd his eye : thither his course he bends 

Through the calm firmament (but up or down, 

By centre, or eccentric, hard to tell, 575 

Or longitude) where the great luminary 

Aloof the vulgar constellations thick, 

That from his lordly eye keep distance due, 

Dispenses light from far ; they as they move 

Their starry dance in numbers that compute 580 

Days, months, and years, tow'rds his all-cheering lamp 

Turn swift their various motions, or are turn'd 

By his magnetic beam, that gently warms 

The universe, and to each inward part 

With gentle penetration, though unseen, 585 

Shoots invisible virtue ev'n to the deep ; 

563 . Winds with ease, fyc. : His flight between the several worlds that 
shined on every side of him, with the particular description of the sun, are 
set forth in all the wantoness of a luxuriant imagination. — A. 

565-6. Shone stars, fyc. : Appeared to be stars. 

568. Hesperian gardens : Some have located these on the Cape Verd 
Islands ; others on Bissagos, a little above Sierra Leone. 

574—6. But up or down, fyc. : Satan had now passed the fixed stars, and 
was directing his course towards the sun ; but it is hard to tell, says the poet, 
whether his course was up or down, that is, north or south (ix. 78; x. 675 , 
or whether it was by centre or eccentric, towards the centre or from the 
centre, it not being determined whether the sun is the centre of the world 
or not ; or whether it was by longitude, that is, in length, east or west, as 
appears from IV. 539 ; VII. 373.— N. 

577. Aloof: Apart from. 
5S0. Numbers : Measures. 



142 PARADISE LOST. 

So wondrously was set his station bright. 

There lands the Fiend, a spot like which perhaps 

Astronomer in the Sun's lucent orb 

Through his glazed optic tube yet never saw. 590 

The place he found beyond expression bright, 

Compar'd with aught on earth, metal or stone ; 

Not all parts like, but all alike inform 'd 

With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire ; 

If metal, part seem'd gold, part silver clear ; 595 

If stone, carbuncle most, or chrysolite, 

Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone 

In Aaron's breast-plate, and a stone besides 

Imagined rather oft than elsewhere seen, 

That stone, or like to that which here below 600 

Philosophers in vain so long have sought ; 

In vain, though by their pow'rful art they bind 

Volatile Hermes, and call up unbound 

In various shapes old Proteus from the sea, 

590. The spots in the sun are visible with a telescope ; but astronomer 
perhaps never saw, " through his glazed optic tube," such a spot as Satan, now 
he was on the sun's orb. The poet mentions this glass the oftener in honor 
of Galileo, whom he means here by the astronomer. — N. 

593. Informed: Inwrought. 

597. To : It means, and so on, up to the twelve, or, including all the 
twelve. 

600. Stone : A stone, or substance which the alchemists endeavoured to 
prepare, by a mixture of which with the common metals they hoped to con- 
vert them into gold. 

603. Volatile Hermes: Hermes is the Greek name for Mercury, who pos- 
sessed a winged cap and sandals, which enabled him to pass rapidly from one 
part of space to another. While the poet evidently alludes to this fabulous 
being, he seems to speak of the metal, called mercury, or quicksilver, which 
is volatile, or rises into the air, by the application of intense heat. We 
know that the alchemists made great use of this metal in their vain endea- 
vours to manufacture a " philosopher's stone," such as they desired. The 
binding spoken of may refer to the amalgams which they formed with it. 

604. Proteus, a deified mortal (according to the old Grecian mythology , a 
sooth-saying and wonder-working old man of the sea, who fed the phocEeof 
Neptune in the iEgean Sea, and was said by wandering manners to sun himself 
with his sea-calves, and to sleep at mid-day on the desert island of Pharos, 



BOOK III. 143 

Drain'd through a limbec to his native form. 605 

What wonder then if fields and regions here 

Breathe forth Elixir pure, and rivers run 

Potable gold, when with one virtuous touch 

Th' arch-chemic Sun, so far from us remote, 

Produces with terrestrial humour mix'd 610 

Here in the dark so many precious things 

Of colour glorious and effect so rare ? 

Here matter new to gaze the Devil met 

and elsewhere. He prophesied only when compelled by force and art. He 
tried every means to elude those who consulted him, and changed himself, 
after the manner of the sea-gods, into every shape ; into beasts, trees, ser- 
pents, and even into fire and water. But whoever boldly held him fast re- 
ceived a revelation of whatever he wished to know, whether past, present, 
or future (Odyssey iv. 351). Any one who hastily changes his principles 
is, from this old sea-god, called a Proteus. — Encyclop. Amer. 

From the variety of shapes which this god was accustomed to assume and 
lay aside, Milton alludes to him in order to illustrate the various changes to 
which substances were subjected in the limbec (alembic 1 , or still, of the in- 
dustrious alchemist. Possibly sea-water, which is a compound of many con- 
stituents, was one of those substances. 

The passage then means (as Newton observes) , Though by their powerful 
art they bind and fix quicksilver, and change their matter (a representative 
of which Proteus has been supposed to be) unbound, unfixed, into as many 
various shapes as Proteus, till it be reduced at last, by draining through their 
stills, to its first original form. To bind or fix, is to render a substance inca- 
pable of being volatilized by heat. So the alchemists understood the term. 

606. What wonder, fyc. : And if alchemists can do so much, what wonder 
then if the sun itself is the true philosopher's stone, the grand elixir, and 
rivers of liquid gold ; when the sun, the chief of alchemists, though at so 
great a distance, can perform such wonders upon earth, and produce so many 
precious things ? The thought of making the sun the chief alchemist, seems 
to be taken from Shakspeare's King John, Act iii. 

: ' To solemnize this day. the glorious sun 
Stays in his course and plays the alchemist, 
Turning with splendour of his precious eye 
The meagre cloddy earth to glittering gold." 

N. 
C0t5. dere : In the sun, which he was speaking of. 

607. Elixir pure : Elixir vita?, a medicine for perpetuating life, was also 
•n earnest object of pursuit with the alchemists. 

608. Potable : Drinkable. Virtuous : Efficacious. 



144 PARADISE LOST. 

Undazzled ; far and wide his eye commands ; 

For sight no obstacle found here, nor shade, 615 

But all sunshine, as when his beams at noon 

Culminate from th' equator, as they now 

Shot upward still direct, whence no way round 

Shadow from body opaque can fall ; and th' air, 

No where so clear, sharpen'd his visual ray 620 

To objects distant far, whereby he soon 

Saw within ken a glorious Angel stand, 

The same whom John saw also in the Sun. 

His back was turn'd, but not his brightness hid : 

Of beaming sunny rays a golden tiar 625 

Circled his head, nor less his locks behind 

Illustrious on his shoulders fledge with wings 

Lay waving round. On some great charge employ'd 

He seem'd, or fix'd in cogitation deep. 

Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope 630 

To find who might direct his wand'ring flight 

To Paradise, the happy seat of Man, 

His journey's end, and our beginning woe. 

But first he casts to change his proper shape, 

616-17. There was no shadow, just as there is none at our equator when 
the sun culminates, is at its highest point, is directly overhead, and sends 
down his rays from the celestial equator. Jls they now : For as much as, &c. 

621—44. The figures introduced in this passage have, says Hazlitt, all the 
elegance and precision of a Greek statue ; glossy and impurpled, tinged with 
golden light, and musical as the strings of Memnon's harp ! 

623. See Rev. xix. 17, " And I saw an angel standing in the sun." 

625. Tiar : Coronet, or cap. 

627. Illustrious: Lustrous, glossy. Fledge: Furnished. 

634. Casts to change, Sfc. : That is, meditates to change his shape. His 
shape, speech, and behaviour, upon his transforming himself into an angel of 
light, are touched with exquisite beauty. The poet's thought of directing 
Satan to the sun, which, in the vulgar opinion of mankind, is the most con- 
spicuous part of the creation, and the placing in it an angel, is a circumstance 
very finely contrived, and the more adjusted to a poetical probability, as it 
was a received doctrine among the most famous philosophers that every orb 
had its intelligent beings ; and as an apostle, in sacred writ, is said to have 
seen an angel in the sun. — A. 



BOOK III. 145 

Which else might work him danger or delay : 635 

And now a stripling Cherub he appears, 

Not of the prime, yet such as in his face 

Youth smiled celestial, and to ev'ry limb 

Suitable grace diffused, so well he feign'd : 

Under a coronet his flowing hair 640 

In curls on either cheek play'd ; wings he wore 

Of many a colour'd plume, sprinkled with gold ; 

His habit fit for speed succinct, and held 

Before his decent steps a silver wand. 

He drew not nigh unheard : the Angel bright, 645 

Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turn'd, 

Admonisk'd by his ear, and straight was known 

Th' Arch-Angel Uriel, one of the seven 

Who in God's presence, nearest to his throne, 

Stand ready at command, and are his eyes 650 

That run through all the Heav'ns, or down to th' Earth 

Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, 

O'er sea and land : him Satan thus accosts : 

Uriel, for thou of those sev'n Spirits that stand 
In sight of God's high throne, gloriously bright, 655 

The first art wont his great authentic will 
Interpreter through highest Heav'n to bring, 
Where all his sons thy embassy attend ; 
And here art likeliest, by Supreme decree, 

637. Prime : Earliest age. 

643. Habit: Dress. As it is contrary to the manner of Milton to put 
clothes upon angels, the habit here spoken of may denote the wings, and in 
that case the word succinct cannot bear its usual signification of girded, but 
the metaphorical sense of prepared, ready for action. 

644. Decent • Graceful. We are reminded of those lines in Horace Ode 
iv. book i. : 

JunctanqueNymphis Giatiae deccnles 
AHerno ten am quatiunt pede ; . . . . 

650. See Zech. iv. 10 ; Tobit xii. 15 ; Rev. i. 4 ; v. 6 ; viii. 2. 

654. Uriel : The meaning of this Hebrew name is, God is my light. Hence, 
with great propriety, the station assigned him is the sun. The Jews sup- 
posed that there were seven principal angels who led the heavpnly hosts. 
10 



146 PARADISE LOST. 

Like honour to obtain, and as his eye 660 

To visit oft this new creation round ; 

Unspeakable desire to see, and know 

All these his wondrous works, but chiefly Man, 

His chief delight and favour ; him for whom 

All these his works so wondrous he ordain'd, 665 

Hath brought me from the choirs of Cherubim 

Alone thus wand'ring. Brightest Seraph, tell 

In which of all these shining orbs hath Man 

His fixed seat, or fixed seat hath none, 

But all these shining orbs his choice to dwell ; 670 

That I may find him, and with secret gaze 

Or open admiration him behold, 

On whom the great Creator hath bestow'd 

Worlds, and on whom hath all these graces pour'd ; 

That both in him and all things, as is meet, • 675 

The Universal Maker we may praise, 

Who justly hath driv'n out his rebel foes 

To deepest Hell ; and to repair that loss 

Created this new happy race of Men 

To serve him better : wise are all his ways. 680 

So spake the false Dissembler unperceived ; 
For neither Man nor Angel can discern 
Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks 
Invisible, except to God alone, 

By his permissive will, thro' Heav'n and Earth : 685 

And oft though Wisdom wake, Suspicion sleeps 
At Wisdom's gate, and to Simplicity 
Resigns her chai-ge, while Goodness thinks no ill 
Where no ill seems : which now for once beguiled 
Uriel, though regent of the Sun, and held 690 

The sharpest sighted Spirit of all in Heav'n ; 

664. Delight and favour : Object of delight and favour. 

686-89. Suspicion sleeps, §c. : There is not in my opinion a nobler senti- 
ment, or one more poetically expressed, in the whole poem. What great art 
has the poet shown in taking off the dryness of a mere moral sentence by 
throwing it into the form of a short and beautiful allegory ! — T. 

690. Held: Consirlcro !. 



BOOK III. " 147 

Who to the fraudulent impostor foul 
In his uprightness answer thus return'd : 

Fair Angel, thy desire, which tends to know 
The works of God, thereby to glorify 695 

The great Work-Master, leads to no excess 
That reaches blame, but rather merits praise 
The more it seems excess, that led thee hither 
From thy empyreal mansion thus alone, 

To witness with thine eyes what some perhaps 700 

Contented with report hear only in Heav'n : 
For wonderful indeed are all his works, 
Pleasant to know, and worthiest to be all 
Had in remembrance always with delight : 
But what created mind can comprehend 705 

Their number, or the wisdom infinite 
That brought them forth, but hid their causes deep ? 
I saw when at his word the formless mass, 
This world's material mould, came to a heap : 
Confusion heard his voice, and wild Uproar 710 

Stood ruled, stood vast Infinitude confined ; 
Till at his second bidding Darkness fled, 
Light shone, and Order from Disorder sprung : 
Swift to their sev'ral quarters hasted then 
The cumbrous elements, Earth, Flood, Air, Fire ; 715 

And this ethereal quintessence of Heav'n 
Flew upward, spirited with various forms, 
That roll'd orbicular, and turn'd to stars 

715. Cumbrous, when compared to light. 

716. Quintessence, literally means Wye fifth or highest essence. The expres- 
sion ethereal quintessence is descriptive of light, as the most subtile form of 
matter. Spirited xvith various forms : Animated as by a spirit, or conveyed 
away rapidly, and possessing various forms. &c. The ancients supposed that 
the stars and heavens were formed out of a fifth essence, and not of the four 
elements. 

718. I saw: An allusion to Prov. viii. 22-29. In the answer which the 
angel returns to the disguised evil spirit, there is such a becoming majesty as 
is altogether suitable to a superior being. This part of it in which he rep e- 
sents himself as present at the creation is very noble in itself, and not o !y 



148 ■ PARADISE LOST. 

Numberless, as thou seest, and how they move : 

Each had his place appointed, each his course ; 720 

The rest in circuit walls this universe. 

Look downward on that globe, whose hither side 

With light from hence, though but reflected, shines ; 

That place is Earth, the seat of Man ; that light 

His day, which else, as th' other hemisphere, 725 

Night would invade ; but there the neighb'ring moon 

(So call that opposite fair star) her aid 

Timely interposes, and her monthly round 

Still ending, still renewing, through mid Heav'n, 

With borrow'd light her countenance triform 730 

Hence fills and empties to enlighten th' Earth, 

And in her pale dominion checks the night. 

That spot to which I point is Paradise, 

Adam's abode, those lofty shades his bow'r. 

Thy way thou canst not miss, me mine requires. 735 

Thus said, he turn'd ; and Satan bowing low, 
As to superior Spirits is wont in Heav'n, 
Where honour due and rev'rence none neglects, 
Took leave, and tow'rd the coast of earth beneath, 
Down from th' ecliptic, sped with hoped success, 740 

proper where it is introduced, but requisite to prepare the reader for what 
follows in the Seventh Book. — A. 

721. The rest: The remaining portion of matter (of the " formless mass,' 
line 708) , surrounds in an opaque spherical form, as by a wall, the organized 
universe, thus guarding it against the encroachments of the raging Chaos (line 
710). Compare with lines 419-430. But Newton gives another interpre- 
tation : These stars are numberless, &c. ; and the rest of this fifth essence 
that is not formed into stars surrounds, and like a wall encloses the universe. 

722. Look downward, $c. : In this part of the speech Milton points out the 
Earth with such circumstances that the reader can scarce forbear fancying 
himself employed in the same distant view of it. — A. 

730. Triform : There are three principal aspects of the moon ; at new 
moon, a bright semi-circle of light : at the quarter, when a semi-circle is fill- 
ed with light; at the full moon which forms an entire circle of light. There 
i< an allusion to Ihe goddess Diana, who was called Triformis, from her three- 
fold character as goddess of the moon or mouth, the chase, and the lower re- 
gion--. 



BOOK III. 149 

Throws his steep flight in many an aery wheel, 
Nor stay'd, till on Niphates' top he lights. 

741. Aery wheel : Either descriptive of his joyous and sportive state of mind 
on nearing the object of his long journey, or the speed with which he has- 
tened to consummate his long travel. 

742. Niphates : A mountain of Armenia, in Asia ; near the supposed site, 
of Paradise. 



MILTON'S SATAN. 

Wherever Satan appears, he becomes the centre of the scene. Round 
him, as he lies on the fiery gulf, floating many a rood, the flames seem to 
do obeisance, even as their red billows break upon his sides. When he rises 
up into his proper stature, the surrounding hosts of Hell cling to him, like 
leaves to a tree. When he disturbs the old deep of Chaos, its anarchs, 
Orcus, Hades, Demogorgon, own a superior. When he stands on Niphates 
and bespeaks the sun which was once his footstool, Creation becomes silent, 
to listen to the dread soliloquy. When he enters Eden, a shiver of horror 
shakes all its roses, and makes the waters of the four rivers to tremble. 
Even in Heaven, the Mountain of the Congregation in the sides of the north, 
where he sits, almost mates with the Throne of the Eternal. 

Mounted on the night, as on a black charger, carrying all Hell in his 
breast, and the trail of Heaven's glory on his brow ; his eyes, eclipsed suns ; 
his cheeks furrowed not by the traces of tears, but of thunder ; his wings, 
two black forests ; his heart, a mount of millstone ; armed to the teeth ; 
doubly armed by pride, fury, and despair ; lonely as death ; hungry as the 
grave ; intrenched in immortality ; defiant against every difficulty and dan- 
ger, does he pass before us, the most tremendous conception in the compass 
of poetry; the sublimest creation of the mind of man. 

Burns, in one of his letters, expresses a resolve to buy a pocket-copy of 
Milton, and study that noble (?) character, Satan. We cannot join in this 
opinion entirely, although very characteristic of the author of the " Address 
to the De'il ;" but we would advise our readers, if they wish to see the 
loftiest genius passing into the highest art ; if they wish to see combined in 
one stupendous figure every species of beauty, deformity, terror, darkness, 
light, calm, convulsion ; the essence of Man. Devil, and Angel, collected into 
a something distinct from each, and absolutely unique ; all the elements of 
nature ransacked, and all the characters in history analysed, in order to deck 
that brow with terror, to fill that eye with fire, to clothe that neck with 
thunder, to harden that heart into stone, to give to that port its pride and to 
that wing its swiftness, and that glory so terrible to those nostrils snorting 
with hatred to God and scorn to Man ; to buy, beg, or borrow, a copy of 



150 PARADISE LOST. 

Milton, and study the character of Satan, not like Burns, for its worth, but 
for the very grandeur of its worthlessness. An Italian painter drew a re- 
presentation of Lucifer so vivid and glowing, that it left the canvas and 
came into the painter's soul ; in other words, haunted his mind by night and 
day ; became palpable to his eye even when he was absent from the picture . 
produced, at last, a frenzy which ended in death. We might wonder that a 
similar effect was not produced upon Milton's mind from the long presence 
of his own terrific creation (to be thinking of the Devil for six or ten years 
together looks like a Satanic possession) , were it not that we remember his 
mind was more than equal to confront its own workmanship. He was 
enabled, besides, through his habitual religion, to subdue and master his tone 
of feeling in reference to him. — Gilfillan. 



BOOK IV. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Satan, now in prospect of Eden, and nigh the place where he must now 
attempt the hold enterprise which he undertook alone against God and Man, 
falls into many doubts with himself, and many passions, fear, envy, and de- 
spair ; but at length confirms himself in evil, journeys on to Paradise, whose 
outward prospect and situation is described, overleaps the bounds, sits in the 
shape of a cormorant on the Tree of Life, as highest in the garden, to look 
about him. The garden described ; Satan's first sight of Adam and Eve ; 
his wonder at their excellent form and happy state, but with resolution to 
work their fall ; overhears their discourse, thence gathers that the Tree of 
Knowledge was forbidden them to eat of, under penalty of death ; and thereon 
intends to found his temptation, by seducing them to transgress ; then leaves 
them a while, to know further of their state by some other means. Mean- 
while, Uriel, descending on a sunbeam, warns Gabriel, who had in charge 
the gate of Paradise, that some evil spirit had escaped the deep, and passed 
at noon by his sphere, in the shape of a good Angel, down to Paradise, dis- 
covered after by his furious gestures in the Mount; Gabriel promises 
to find him ere morning ; night coming on, Adam and Eve discourse of going 
to their rest ; their bower described ; their evening worship ; Gabriel draw- 
ing forth his bands of night-watch to walk the round of Paradise, appoints 
two strong Angels to Adam's bower, lest the evil spirit should be there 
doing some harm to Adam or Eve sleeping ; there they find him at the ear 
of Eve, tempting her in a dream, and bring him, though unwilling, to 
Gabriel ; by whom questioned, he scornfully answers, prepares resistance 
but hindered by a sign from Heaven, flies out of Paradise. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

I believe that this Book is a general favourite with readers : there are 
parts of it beautiful ; but it appears to me far less grand than the Books 
which precede it. It has, I think, not only less sublimity, but less poetical 
invention. It required less imagination to describe the garden of Eden than 
Pandemonium or Chaos. Adam and Eve are — the one noble, the other 
lovely; but still they are human beings, with human passions. — E. B. 



Milton, like Dante, had been unfortunate in ambition and in love. He 
had survived his health and his sight, the comforts of his home, and the 
prosperity of his party. Of the great men by whom he had been distin- 
guished, some had been taken away from the evil to come : some had taken 
into foreign climates their unconquerable hatred of oppression : some were 
pining in dungeons, and some had poured forth their blood on scaffolds. If 
ever despondency and asperity could be excused in any man, they might 
have been excused in Milton ; but the strength of his mind overcame every 
calamity. His temper was serious, perhaps stern ; but it was a temper 
which no sufferings could render sullen or fretful. Such as it was, when, 
on the eve of great events, he returned from his travels, in the prime of 
health and manly beauty, loaded with literary distinctions, and glowing with 
.patriotic hopes — such it continued to be — when, after having experienced 
every calamity which is incident to our nature, old, poor, sightless, and dis- 
graced, he retired to his hovel to die ! 

Hence it was, that though he wrote the Paradise Lost at a time of life 
when images of beauty and tenderness are, in general, beginning to fade, even 
from tnose minds in which they have not been effaced by anxiety and disap- 
pointment, he adorned it with all that is most lovely and delightful in the physi- 
cal and in the moral world. Neither Theocritus nor Ariosto had a finer, or a 
more healthful sense of the pleasantness of external objects, or loved better 
to luxuriate amidst sunbeams and flowers, the songs of nightingales, the 
juice of summer fruits, and the coolness of shady fountains. His poetry 
reminds us of the miracles of Alpine scenery: nooks and dells, beautiful 
as fairy land, are embosomed in its most rugged and gigantic elevations. 
The roses and myrtles bloom unchilled on the verge of the avalanche. — 
Macau lay. 



BOOK IV. 



O for that warning voice, which he who saw 

Th' Apocalypse heard cry in Heav'n aloud, 

Then when the Dragon, put to second rout, 

Came furious down to be revenged on men, 

' Woe to th' inhabitants on earth !' that now, 5 

While time was, our first parents had been warn'd 

The coming of their secret foe, and 'scaped, 

Haply so 'scaped his mortal snare : for now 

Satan, now first inflamed with rage, came down, 

The tempter ere th' accuser of mankind, 10 

To wreck on innocent frail man his loss 

Of that first battle, and his flight to Hell : 

Yet not rejoicing in his speed, though bold 

Far off and fearless, nor with cause to boast, 

Begins his dire attempt, which nigh the birth 15 

Now rolling, boils in his tumultuous breast, 

And, like a dev'lish engine, back recoils 

Upon himself: horror and doubt distract 

His troubled thoughts, and from the bottom stir 

I . The opening of this Book is ingenious and happy. A prominent sub- 
ject of the Apocalypse of John (Rev. xii. 2), here referred to. is Satan's 
overthrow, whose first attempts upon Man's purity and happiness form the 
ground- work of this part of the poem. — S. 

II. Wreck: Wreak. 

13. In his speed: In the speed he had employed. 



154 PARADISE LOST. 

The Hell within him ; for within him Hell 20 

He brings, and round about him ; nor from Hell 

One step no more than from himself can fly 

By change of place : now Conscience wakes Despair 

That slumber'd, wakes the bitter memory 

Of what he was, what is, and what must be 25 

Worse ; of worse deeds worse sufPrings must ensue. 

Sometimes tow'rds Eden, which now in his view 

Lay pleasant, his grieved look he fixes sad ; 

Sometimes tow'rds Heav'n and the full-blazing Sun, 

Which now sat high in his meridian tow'r : 30 

Then much revolving, thus in sighs began : 

thou that with surpassing glory crown'd, 
Look'st from thy sole dominion like the God 
Of this new world ; at whose sight all the stars 
Hide their diminish'd heads ; to thee I call, 35 

But with no friendly voice, and add thy name, 
O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams, 
That bring to my remembrance from what state 

24. Memory : Used in the sense of consideration. 

30. Tow'r : At noon the sun is lifted up as in a tower. Virgil uses the 
same figure. — N. 

32. Thou : An address is here made to the sun, as the most resplendent 
object that meets Satan's view, ending in a soliloquy that displays great art, 
impiety, and wickedness. 

In this splendid soliloquy, the hatred of the fiend does not debar him from 
acknowledging how worthy that luminary is of wonder and admiration. 

Rousseau, in his last illness, was heard to ejaculate, " Oh, how beautiful is 
the sun ! I feel as if he called my soul towards him !" Indeed, the sun is 
so glorious a body, that it can hardly excite our wonder that, in the more 
early and ignorant ages, it should have received the honours of deification. 

One of the German poets, when about to expire, requested to be raised 
from his couch in order to take a last look at that glorious luminary : " Oh," 
said he, with the sublimity of enthusiasm, " if a small part of the Eternal's 
creation can be so exquisitely beautiful as this, how much more beautiful 
must be the Eternal himself!" — Bucke. 

Oh Thou, Sfc. : This is one of those magnificent speeches to which no 
other name can be given, than that it is supereminently Miltonic. This is 
mainly argumentative sublimity ; in which, I think, he is even still greater 
than in his splendid and majestic imagery. — E. B. 



BOOK IV. 155 

I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere ; 

Till pride and worse ambition threw me down 40 

Warring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless King : 

Ah wherefore ! he deserved no such return 

From me, whom he created what I was 

In that bright eminence, and with his good 

Upbraided none ; nor was his service hard. 45 

What could be less than to afford him praise, 

The easiest recompense, and pay him thanks, 

How due ! yet all his good proved ill in me, 

And wrought but malice ; lifted up so high, 

I sdeign'd subjection, and thought one step higher 50 

Would set me high'st, and in a moment quit 

The debt immense of endless gratitude, 

So burdensome still paying, still to owe, 

Forgetful what from Him I still received, 

And understood not that a grateful mind 56 

By owing owes not, but still pays, at once 

Indebted and discharged : what burden then ? 

had his pow'rful destiny ordain 'd 

Me some inferior Angel, 1 had stood 

Then happy ; no uubounded hope had raised 60 

Ambition. Yet, why not ? some other Pow'r, 

As great might have aspired, and me, though mean, 

38. That bring to my remembrance, fyc. : Satan being now within the 
prospect of Eden, and looking round upon the glories of the creation, is 
filled with sentiments different from those which he discovered whilst he 
was in Hell. The place inspires him with thoughts more adapted to it. 
He reflects upon the happy condition from which he fell, and breaks forth 
into a speech that is softened with several transient touches of remorse and 
self-accusation ; but, at length, he confirms himself in impenitence, and in 
his design of drawing back man into his own state of guilt and misery 
This conflict of passions is raised with a great deal of art, as the opening of 
his speech to the sun is very bold and noble. — A. 

40. Pride : An inordinate self-esteem. Ambition : A worse passion, as it 
prompted him to impious efforts to acquire equal dominion with God. 
50. Sdeign'd : Disdained, from the Italian sdegnare. 
55. And connects this verb with the verbs in 50 
58. Destiny : Act of destination. 



156 PARADISE LOST. 

Drawn to his part ; but other Pow'rs as great 

Fell not, but stand unshaken, from within 

Or from without, to all temptations arm'd. 65 

Iladst thou the same free will and pow'r to stand? 

Thou hadst. Whom hast thou then or what t' accuse, 

But Heav'n's free love dealt equally to all ? 

Be then his love accursed, since love or hate, 

To me alike, it deals eternal woe. 70 

Nay, cursed be thou ; since against his thy will 

Chose freely what it now so justly rues. 

Me miserable ! which way shall I fly 

Infinite wrath, and infinite despair ? 

Which way I fly is Hell ; myself am Hell ; 75 

And in the lowest deep a lower deep 

Still threat'ning to devour me opens wide, 

To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav'n 

then at last relent. Is there no place 

Left for repentance, none for pardon left ? 80 

None left but by submission ; and that word 

Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame 

Among the Spirits beneath, whom I seduced 

With other promises and other vaunts 

Than to submit, boasting I could subdue 85 

Th' Omnipotent. Ay me, they little know 

How dearly I abide that boast so vain, 

Under what torments inwardly I groan, 

IT). Myself am Hell, fyc. : An example of Hyperbole. Hyperboles are of 
two kinds ; either such as are employed in description, or such as are sug- 
gested by the warmth of passion ; for if the imagination has a tendency to 
magnify its objects beyond their natural proportion, passion possesses this 
tendency in a vastly stronger degree ; and, therefore, not only excuses the 
most daring figures, but very often renders them natural and just. All pas- 
sions, without exception, love, terror, amazement, indignation, anger, and 
even grief, throw the mind into confusion, aggravate their objects, and, of 
course, prompt a hyperbolical style. Hence, the following sentiments of 
Satan in Milton, as strongly as they are described, contain nothing but what 
is natural and proper, exhibiting the picture of a mind agitated with rage 
and despair. — Blair. 

81. That word (submission) . 



BOOK IV. 157 

While they adore me on the throne of Hell ! 

With diadem and sceptre high advanced, 90 

The lower still I fall, only supreme 

In misery ! such joy ambition finds. 

But say I could repent, and could obtain 

By act of grace my former state, how soon 

Would highth recall high thoughts, how soon unsay 95 

What feign'd submission swore ! ease would recant 

Vows made in pain, as violent and void ; 

For never can true reconcilement grow 

Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep 

Which would but lead me to a worse relapse, 100 

And heavier fall : so should I purchase dear 

Short intermission bought with double smart. 

This knows my Punisher : therefore, as far 

From granting he, as I from begging peace. 

All hope excluded thus, behold, instead 105 

Of us outcast, exiled, his new delight, 

Mankind created, and for him this world. 

So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear, 

Farewell remorse : all good to me is lost : 

Evil be thou my good ; by thee at least 110 

Divided empire with Heav'n's King I hold, 

By thee, and more than half perhaps will reign ; 

As Man ere long, and this new world shall know. 

Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face ; 
Thrice changed with pale, ire, envy, and despair ; 115 

Which marr'd his borrow'd visage, and betray'd 
Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld. 

110-12. The meaning is : Evil be thou my source of happiness ; by means 
of thee I hold at least divided empire, &c. ; by thee (I repeat\ and (here- 
after) will reign, perhaps, more than half, by adding Earth to my empire. 

114. Thus while he spake, fyc. : The above speech is, perhaps, the finest that 
is ascribed to Satan in the whole poem. The evil spirit afterwards proceeds 
to make his discoveries concerning our first parents, and to learn after what 
manner they may be best attacked. — A. Each passion, namely, ire, envy, 
and despair, dimmed his face, and changed it into an intense paleness. To 
change with, is an idiom of Latin and Greek writers. 



158 PARADISE LOST. 

For heav'nly minds from such distempers foul 

Are ever clear. Whereof he soon aware, 

Each perturbation smooth 'd with outward calm, 120 

Artificer of fraud ; and was the first 

That practised falsehood under saintly show, 

Deep malice to conceal, couch 'd with revenge : 

Yet not enough had practised to deceive 

Uriel once warn'd ; whose eye pursued him down 125 

The way he went, and on th' Assyrian mount 

Saw him disfigured more than could befall 

Spirit of happy sort ; his gestures fierce 

He mark'd and mad demeanour, then alone, 

As he supposed, all unobserved, unseen. 130 

So on he fares, and to the border comes 

Of Eden, where delicious Paradise, 

Now nearer, crowns with her inclosure green, 

As with a rural mound, the champaign head 

Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides 135 

With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild, 

Access deny'd ; and over head up grew, 

123. Couch! d : Lying close. 

126. Milton places Eden in Assyria (210, 285), and Niphates was in the 
neighbourhood of Eden, III. 742 ; IV. 27. 

131. Fares: Goes, travels. 

132. Satan has now arrived at the border of Eden, where he has a nearer 
prospect of Paradise, which the poet represents as situated in a champaign 

(level) country, upon the top of a steep hill, called the Mount of Paradise. 
The sides of this hill were overgrown with thickets and bushes, so as not to 
be passable ; and overhead, above these, on the sides of the hill, likewise, 
grew the loftiest trees, and as they ascended in ranks, shade above shade, 
they formed a kind of natural theatre, the rows of trees rising one above 
another in the same manner as the benches in the theatres and places of 
public shows. And yet higher than the highest of these trees grew up the 
verdurous (verdant) wall of Paradise, a green enclosure like a rural mound — 
like a bank set with a hedge ; but this hedge grew not up so high as to hinder 
Adam's prospect into (view of) the neighbouring country below {nether em- 
pire". Above this hedge, or green wall, grew a circling row of the finest 
fruit trees ; and the only entrance into Paradise was a gate on the eastern 
side. — N. 



BOOK IV. 159 

Insuperable height of loftiest shade, 

Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm ; 

A sylvan scene ; and as the ranks ascend 140 

Shade above shade, a woody theatre 

Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops 

The verdurous wall of Paradise up sprung ; 

Which to our gen'ral sire gave prospect large 

Into his nether empire neighb'ring round : 145 

And higher than that wall a circling row 

Of goodliest trees loaden with fairest fruit, 

Blossoms and fruits at once of golden hue, 

Appear'd with gay enamel'd colours mix'd : 

On which the Sun more glad impress'd his beams 150 

Than in fair ev'ning cloud, or humid bow, 

When God hath show'r'd the earth : so lovely seem'd 

That landskip : and of pure now purer air 

Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires 

Vernal delight and joy, able to drive 155 

All sadness but despair : now gentle gales, 

Fanning their odorif'rous wings, dispense 

Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole 

140. A sylvan scene : We are reminded of the beautiful lines of Virgil, 
jEn. i. 164 : 

" Turn silvis scena coruscis 
Desuper, horrentique atium nemus imminet umbra.'' 

148. Fruits: It would accord better with V. 341; IV. 249, 422; VII. 
324 ; VIII. 307, to read fruit. The singular is used to denote hanging fruit, 
the plural gathered. 

153. Landskip: The originals from which Milton has borrowed in describ- 
ing this landscape, are the gardens of Alcinous, and the shady grotto of 
Calypso, by Homer; the garden of Paradise, by Ariosto; of Arrnida, by 
Tasso ; and of Venus, by Marino ; and of the Bower of Bliss, by Spenser ; 
but competent judges affirm that the copy greatly transcends in beauty the 
originals. 

158. This fine passage is taken from as fine a one in Shakspeare's Twelfth 
Night : 

" like the sweet south 

That breathes upon a bank of violets, 
Stealing and giving odour." 



160 PARADISE LOST. 

Those balmy spoils. As when to them who sail 
Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past 160 

Mozambique, off at sea north-east winds blow 
Sabean odours from the spicy shore 
Of Araby the Blest ; with such delay 
Well pleased they slack their course, and many a league 
Cheer'd with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles : 165 

So entertain'd those odorous sweets the Fiend 
Who came their bane, though with them better pleased 
Than Asmodeus with the fishy fume 
That drove him, though enamour'd, from the spouse 
Of Tobit's son, and with a vengeance sent 170 

From Media post to Egypt, there fast bound. 
Now to th' ascent of that steep savage hill 
Satan had journey 'd on, pensive and slow ; 
But further way found none, so thick intwined, 
As one continued brake, the undergrowth 175 

Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplex'd 
All path of man or beast that pass'd that way : 
One gate there only was, and that look'd east 
On th' other side ; which when th' arch-felon saw, 
Due entrance he disdain'd, and in contempt, 180 

This expression of the air's stealing and dispersing the sweets of flowers, 
is very common in the best Italian poets. — N. 

162. Sabean odours : In Ovington's voyage to Surat (1696) , is the following 
passage, p. 55 : " We were pleased with the prospect of this island, because 
we had been long strangers to such a sight ; and it gratified us with the 
fragrant smells which were wafted from the shore, from whence, at three 
leagues' distance, we scented the odours of flowers and fresh herbs ; and, what 
is very observable, when, after a tedious stretch at sea, we have deemed our- 
selves to be near land by our observation and course, our smell in dark and 
misty weather has outdone the acuteness of our sight, and we have discov- 
ered land by the fresh smells, before we discovered it with our eyes." 

Sabean, from Saba, a city and country of Arabia Felix, celebrated for its 
frankincense. 

168. Asmodeus: The Jewish name of an evil spirit; the demon of vanity 
or of dress. 

170. Tobit's son: See the Book of Tobit, in the Apocrypha, or Kitto's 
Bib. Cyclop. Art. Tobit, where the incidents adverted to are set forth. 



BOOK IV. 161 

At one slight bound high overleap'd all bound 

Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within 

Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf, 

Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey, 

Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve 185 

In hurdled cots amid the field secure, 

Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold : 

Or as a thief bent to unhoard the cash 

Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors, 

Cross-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no assault, 190 

In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles : 

So clomb this first grand thief into God's fold ; 

So since into his church lewd hirelings climb. 

Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life, 

The middle tree and highest there that grew, 195 

Sat like a cormorant ; yet not true life 

181. jit one slight bound, Sfc. : His bounding over the walls of Paradise; 
his sitting in the shape of a cormorant upon the tree of life, which stood in 
the centre of it, and overtopped all the other trees of the garden ; his alight- 
ing among the herd of animals, which are so beautifully represented as play- 
ing about Adam and Eve ; together with his transforming himself into dif- 
ferent shapes, in order to hear their conversation, are circumstances that 
give an agreeable surprise to the reader, and are devised with great art, to 
connect that series of adventures in which the poet has engaged this artificer 
of fraud. — A. 

182. Sheer: At once. 

183-88. The comparison of Satan to a wolf, and to a thief, is derived from 
John x. 1. 

192. Clomb: Climbed. 

193. Lewd : This word, in the time of Milton, was used in a wider sense 
than at present, to signify profane, impious, wicked, as well as wanton 
I. 490; VI. 182. 

196. Sat like a cormorant: The thought of Satan's transformation into a 
cormorant, and placing himself on the tree of life, seems raised upon that 
passage in the Iliad, where two deities are described as perching on the top 
of an oak in the shape of vultures. — A. 

The cormorant is a voracious sea-bird. Dr. Geo. Campbell remarks that 
if for cormorant Milton had said " bird of prey," which would have equally 
suited both the meaning and the measure, the image would have been 
weaker than by this specification. The more general the terms are, the pic- 
lure is the weaker; the more special they are, it is the brighter. 

K 



162 PARADISE LOST. 

Thereby regain'd, but sat devising death 

To them who lived ; nor on the virtue thought 

Of that life-giving plant, but only used 

For prospect, what well used had been the pledge 200 

Of immortality. So little knows 

Any, but God alone, to value right 

The good before him, but perverts best things 

To worst abuse, or to their meanest use. 

Beneath him, with new wonder, now he views 205 

To all delight of human sense exposed 

In narrow room Nature's whole wealth, yea more, 

A Heav'n on Earth : for blissful Paradise 

Of God the garden was, by him in th' east 

Of Eden planted ; Eden stretch 'd her line 210 



207-8. In reading the poet's exquisite description of the residence fitted 
up for our first parents, it is a natural inquiry, How did he proceed in forming 
it ? What was the mental process by which he elaborated so beautiful a de- 
scription, for he writes only from imagination ? 

The steps by which he must have proceeded in creating his imaginary 
garden, are thus felicitously described by Dugald Stewart (Works, vol. i. 360) . 
When he first proposed to himself that subject of description, it is reasonable 
to suppose that a variety of the most striking scenes, which he had seen, 
crowded into his mind. The association of ideas suggested them, and the 
power of conception placed each of them before him with all its beauties 
and imperfections. In every natural scene, if we destine it for any par- 
ticular purpose, there are defects and redundancies which art may some- 
times, but cannot always, correct. But the power of imagination is un- 
limited. She can create and annihilate ; and dispose, at pleasure, her woods, 
her rocks, and her rivers. Milton, accordingly, would not copy his Eden 
from any one scene, but would select from each the features which were 
most eminently beautiful. The power of abstraction enabled him to make 
the separation, and taste directed him in the selection. Thus he was fur- 
nished with his materials ; by a skilful combination of which, he has created 
a landscape, more perfect, probably, in all its parts, than was ever realized 
in nature, and, certainly, very different from anything which England ex- 
hibited at the period when he wrote. It is a curious remark of Mr. Wal- 
pole, that Milton's Eden is free from the defects of the old English garden, 
and is imagined on the same principles which it was reserved for the pre- 
sent age to carry into existence. 

For a similar account of the above process, the reader may consult 
Upham's Mental Philosophy, vol. i. pp. 388-9. 



BOOK IV. 163 

From Auran eastward to the royal tow'rs 

Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings, 

Or where the sons of Eden long before 

Dwelt in Telassar. In this pleasant soil 

His far more pleasant garden God ordain'd ; 215 

Out of the fertile ground he caused to grow 

All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste ; 

And all amid them stood the tree of life, 

High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit 

Of vegetable gold ; and next to life, 220 

Our death, the tree of knowledge, grew fast by, 

Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill. 

Southward through Eden went a river large, 

Nor changed his course, but thro' the shaggy hill 

Pass'd underneath ingulf'd ; for God had thrown 225 

That mountain as his garden mould high raised 

Upon the rapid current, which thro' veins 

Of porous earth with kindly thirst up drawn, 

Rose a fresh fountaiu, and with many a rill 

Water'd the garden : thence united fell 230 

Down the steep glade, and met the nether flood, 

Which from his darksome passage now appears, 

And now divided into four main streams, 

211. Auran : Or Hauran, a region of Syria south of Damascus, mentioned 
in Ezek. xlvii. 16, 18. Under the Romans it was called Auranitis. 

212. Seleucia: On the bank of the Tigris, forty-five miles north of ancient 
Babylon. It was built by Seleucus, one of Alexander's generals, and was 
the capital of the Macedonian conquests in Upper Asia. 

214. Telassar: A country adjacent to Assyria, Is. xxxvii. 12. 

219. Blooming ambrosial fruit : Producing fruit which is delightful both to 
the taste and smell ; from ambrosia, a name for the food on which the gods 
were fabled to subsist, and to which, along with nectar, they were believed to 
owe their immortality. 

233. Compare Gen. ii. 10. It is conjectured by Newton, that the river 
formed by the combined waters of the Tigris and Euphrates, passed through 
the garden ; that this river was parted into four other main streams or 
rivers, two above the garden, namely, Euphrates and Tigris before their junc- 
tion, and two below the garden, the river separating into the rivers Eu- 
phrates and Tigris, called, in the time of Moses, Pison and Gihou. 



164 PARADISE LOST. 

Runs diverse, wand'ring many a famous realm 

And country, whereof here needs no account ; 235 

But rather to tell how, if Art could tell, 

How from that sapphire fount the crisped brooks, 

Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold, 

With mazy error under pendent shades 

Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed 240 

Flow'rs, worthy of Paradise, which not nice Art 

In beds and curious knots, but Nature boon 

Pour'd forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain, 

Both where the morning Sun first warmly smote 

The open field, and where the unpierced shade 245 

Imbrown'd the noontide bow'rs. Thus was this place 

A happy rural seat of various view ; 

Groves whose rich trees wept od'rous gums and balm, 

Others whose fruit burnish 'd with golden rind 

Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true, 250 

If true, here only, and of delicious taste ; 

234. Wandering : Travelling over in no direct course. 

237. Crisped: Curling, or rippling. 238. Orient: Glittering. 

239. Pendent: Impending, overhanging. 

242. Boon: Bountiful. 

246. Imbrown'd : Darkened. 

248. Wept : A beautiful personification. Compare Ovid, Met. x. 500. 

250-51. Hesperian fables true, if true, here only: Dr. Pierce would in- 
clude these words in a parenthesis, to avoid the objection of Dr. Bentley, 
that the poets represented the Hesperian apples of solid gold, and, conse- 
quently, they could not be of delicious taste. Fables: Stories, as in XI. 11. 
What is said of the Hesperian gardens, is true here only ; if all is not pure 
invention, this garden is meant ; and, moreover, these fruits have a delicious 
taste, while those had none. — N. 

The legends concerning these gardens, are quite various. Kitto, in a 
recent work, has shown that they originated, probably, in the traditions 
which had been handed down concerning Paradise, from the earliest ages, 
corrupted and modified, of course, as might be expected. 

Of the garden of the Hesperides (says he) we read, that being situated at the 
extreme limit of the then known Africa, it was said to have been shut in by 
Atlas on every side by lofty mountains, on account of an ancient oracle that 
a son of the Deity would, at a certain time, arrive, open a way of access 



BOOK IV. 165 

Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks 

Grazing the tender herb, were interposed, 

Or palmy hillock ; or the flow'ry lap 

Of some irriguous valley spread her store, 255 

Flow'rs of all hue, and without thorn the rose : 

Another side, umbrageous grots and caves 

Of cool recess, o'er which the mantling vine 

Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps 

Luxuriant : mean while murm'ring waters fall 260 

Down the slope hills, dispersed, or in a lake, 

That to the fringed bank with myrtle crown'd 

Her crystal mirror holds, unite their streams. 

thither, and carry off the golden apples which hung on a mysterious tree in 
the midst of the garden. Having procured access to the garden, the hero de- 
stroyed the watchful serpent that kept the tree, and gathered the apples. 
Here we have a strange mixture of the internal and external incidents of 
Paradise, the ideas of the primeval people viewing from without the Eden 
from which they were excluded, and coveting its golden fruits, mixed up with 
those which belong properly to the fall, the serpent, and the tree of life, or 
of the tree of knowledge — for in these old traditions the trees are not so well 
distinguished as in the Mosaic account. In this legend of Hercules the idea 
seems to be, that the access to the tree of life is impossible, till the Son of 
God opens the way, and overcomes the serpent, by whom that access is pre- 
vented. 

It deserves remark also, that in most of those accounts of the dragon or 
serpent, whom the heathen regarded as the source of evil, and which could 
be vanquished only by the Son of God in human form, he is called Typhon 
or Python, a word which signifies " to over-persuade, to deceive." Now this 
very name Pitho, or Python, designates the great deceiver of mankind. 
When the damsel at Philippi is said (Acts xvi. 16) to have been possessed 
by "a spirit of divination," it is called in the original '• a spirit of Python ;" 
manifestly showing that the pagan Python was and could be no other than 
" that Old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole 
world." Rev. xii. 9. 

255. Irriguous : Watered. 

256. Without thorn, Sfc. : Thorns and thistles were not brought forth until 
the curse was denounced for the sin of man. 

257. Another side (was) umbrageous, fyc. : That is, on another side were 
umbrageous (shady) grots, &c. 

261-63. The waters fall dispersed, or unite their streams in a lake, that 
presents her clear looking-glass, holds her crystal mirror, to the fringed 



166 . PARADISE LOST. 

The birds their choir apply ; airs, vernal airs, 

Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune 265 

The trembling leaves, while universal Pan, 

Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance, 

Led on th' eternal spring. Not that fair field 

Of Enna, where Proserpine gath'ring flow'rs, 

Herself a fairer flow'r by gloomy Dis 270 

"Was gather'd, which cost Ceres all that pain 

To seek her through the world, nor that sweet grove 

Of Daphne by Orontes, and th' inspired 

bank crowned with myrtle. It is usual with the poets (as here and in III. 
359) to personify lakes and rivers. — N. 

265. Attune : Make musical. 

266-67. Wliile universal Pan, fyc. : That is, while universal Nature, linked 
with the graceful seasons, danced a perpetual round, and throughout the 
Earth, yet unpolluted, led eternal spring. All the poets favour the idea of 
the world's creation in the spring. Georg. ii. 338 ; Ovid. Met. i. 107. — H. 

Pan : The name signifies the whole or all, this mythological god being 
considered the god of all the natural world. He was the god of shep- 
herds. The woods and mountains of Arcadia, in Greece, were sacred to 
him. 

The Graces, in classical mythology, were three beautiful sisters, com 
panions of Venus. They presided over scenes of gaiety and amusement 
and are regarded as a personification of all that is beautiful in the physical 
and social world. 

The Hours were at first guardian goddesses of the three seasons into 
which the ancient Greeks divided the year ; afterwards the hours of the day 
were committed to their charge. In the moral world, they became the ap- 
pointed guardians of law, justice, and peace, which are the producers of ordei 
and harmony among men. 

Enna : A Sicilian city, the principal site of the worship of Ceres, the god- 
dess of grain and harvests. Her daughter Proserpine, while sporting in the 
fertile fields of Enna, with the ocean-nymphs, was stretching forth her hand 
to lay hold of a narcissus of great size and beauty, having a hundred flowers 
growing from a single root, when, suddenly, the earth opened, the god of the 
infernal world — Dis or Pluto, by name — ascended in a golden chariot, and 
carried off the terrified goddess, to be the mistress of his dominions. Her 
mother, ignorant of the mode of her abduction, or place of her abode, wan- 
dered in frantic grief over the earth in pursuit of her, until she inquired of 
the god Helms (the Sun\who gave her the information sought. 

273-74. Daphne : A beautiful grove of cypresses and bay-trees, five miles 
from Antioch, in Syria, and near the river Orontes. It jeceived freshness 



BOOK IV. 167 

Castalian spring, might with this Paradise 

Of Eden strive ; nor that Nyseian isle 275 

Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham, 

Whom Gentiles Amnion call and Lybian Jove, 

Hid Amalthea and her florid son 

Young Bacchus from his step-dame Rhea's eye ; 

Nor where Abassin kings their issue guard, 280 

Mount Amara, though this by some supposed 

True Paradise under the Ethiop line 

By Nilus' head, inclosed with shining rock, 

A whole day's journey high, but wide remote 

From this Assyrian garden, where the Fiend 285 

Saw undelighted all delight, all kind 

Of living creatures, new to sight, and strange. 

and beauty from a number of fountains which it contained ; and thus became 
a favourite resort for the citizens of Antioch. 

The Castalian spring, on Mount Parnassus, was used for purposes of divi- 
nation by the priestess of Apollo. There was another fountain of the 
same name near Daphne, which, as the story is, gave to those who drank its 
waters, a knowledge of futurity. To this the poet may refer. 

275-79. Cham, or Ham, son of Noah, called by the Gentiles Amnion, or 
Hammon, was a name given to Jupiter as worshipped in Lybia ; it is derived 
from a Greek word signifying sand. 

Amalthea was a beautiful maiden, of whom he became enamoured, which 
event awakened the jealousy of Rhea. The isle to which Amalthea and 
her son Bacchus were conveyed, is called Nyseian from Nys pus, a surname 
of Bacchus ; it is formed by the river Triton, and is described as possessing 
verdant meads, abundant springs, all sorts of trees and flowers, which ever 
resounded with the melody of birds. 

281. Amara, or Amhara, the highest portion of the Abassin (Abyssin, or 
Abyssinian) country. Its kings there placed their children for safe keeping. 
The mount is said to have been inclosed with alabaster rocks, and to have 
required a day to ascend it. 

287. Two of far nobler shape : The description of Adam and Eve, as they 
first appeared to Satan, is exquisitely drawn, and sufficient to make the fallen 
angel gaze upon them with all that astonishment, and those emotions of envy 
which are attributed to him. — A. 

Dr. Thomas Reid has well observed upon this passage, that the great poet 
derives the beauty of the first pair in Paradise from those expressions of 
moral and intellectual qualities which appeared in their outward form and 
demeanour. 



168 PARADISE LOST. 

Two of far nobler shape erect and tall, 
Godlike erect, with native honour clad 

In naked majesty seem'd lords of all, 290 

And worthy seem'd ; for in their looks divine 
The image of their glorious Maker shone, 
Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure, 
(Severe but in true filial freedom placed), 
Whence true authority in men ; though both 295 

Not equal, as their sex not equal seem'd • 
For contemplation he and valour form'd ; 
For softness she and sweet attractive grace ; 
He for God only, she for God in him : 

His fair large front and eye sublime, declared 300 

Absolute rule ; and hyacinthine locks 
Round from his parted forelock manly hung 
Clust'ring, but not beneath his shoulders broad : 
She, as a veil down to the slender waist, 

Her unadorned golden tresses wore 305 

Dishevell'd, but in wanton ringlets waved 
As the vine curls her tendrils ; which imply'd 
Subjection, but required with gentle sway, 
And by her yielded, by him best received ; 
Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, 310 

299. For God in him : Or, as some more justly would write it " for God 
and him." Compare 440; X. 150, and 1 Cor. xi. 7. 

302. Hyacinthine locks : Dark brown. 

303. It is remarkable that no beard is given to Adam. The poet must 
have judged him more comely without one ; or his ideas may have been 
guided by the great Italian painters, who always represent Adam without a 
beard. 

305. Golden tresses : Tresses of a golden hue. The beautiful women of 
antiquity are generally described as having locks of this colour. The god- 
dess of beauty is hence styled by Horace and Virgil the golden Venus. Mil- 
ton's taste was conformed to that of the ancients ; and besides, it is said that 
his wife had golden hair, whom, therefore, he may have designed to compli- 
ment by forming Eve like her in this respect, which is the more probable, 
if it is certain (as Newton affirms) that he drew the portrait of Adam not 
without regard to his own person, of which he had no mean opinion. 

307. Which implied, fye : Compare 1 Cor. xi 



BOOK IV. lr>9 

And sweet reluctant amorous delay. 

Nor those mysterious parts were then conceal'd ; 

Then was not guilty shame, dishonest shame 

Of Nature's works ; honour dishonourable, 

Sin-bred, how have ye troubled all mankind 315 

With shows instead, mere shows of seeming pure, 

And banish'd from man's life his happiest life, 

Simplicity and spotless innocence ! 

So pass'd they naked on, nor shunn'd the sight 

Of God or Angel, for they thought no ill. 320 

So hand in hand they pass'd, the loveliest pair 

That ever since in love's embraces met ; 

Adam the goodliest man of men since born 

His sons ; the fairest of her daughters Eve. 

Under a tuft of shade that on a green 325 

Stood whispering soft, by a fresh fountain side 

They sat them down ; and after no more toil 

Of their sweet gard'ning labour than sufficed 

To recommend cool Zephyr, and made ease 

More easy, wholesome thirst and appetite 330 

More grateful, to their supper-fruits they fell, 

314. Honour dishonourable : An allusion to 1 Cor. xii. 23. The honour 
bestowed by dress is really a dishonour, being a memorial of the fall of our 
first parents, and of our own depravity. 

315. Ye: Newton prefers to read you, on the ground that the address is 
made to shame only. 

323-24. These lines are an example of the solecism, and, strictly inter- 
preted, would mean that Adam was one of his own sons, and Eve one of he; 
own daughters ; an evident absurdity. But the mode of expression resembles 
that which is often found in Latin and Greek authors, when they use the 
superlative for the comparative degree. It only means that Adam was the 
goodliest man when compared with his sons, and that Eve was fairer than 
any of her daughters. Achilles is by Homer said to be " the most short-lived 
of others," and Nireus to have been " the most elegant of the other Grecians :" 
and Diana is said, by one of the poets, to be "the most beautiful of her at- 
tendants," that is, more beautiful than any of her attendants. 

327. They sat them down, $c. : There is a fine spirit of poetry in the lines- 
ihat follow, wherein they are described as sitting on a bed of flowers by the 
side of a fountain, amidst a mixed assembly of animals. — A. 

Sat is used for stated 



170 PARADISE LOST. 

Nectarine fruits which the compliant boughs 

Yielded them, side-long as they sat recline 

On the soft downy bank damask'd with flow'rs. 

The savoury pulp they chew, and in the rind 335 

Still as they thirsted scoop the brimming stream ; 

Nor gentle purpose, nor endearing smiles 

Wanted, nor youthful dalliance as beseems 

Fair couple link'd in happy nuptial league, 

Alone as they. About them frisking play'd 340 

All beasts of th' earth, since wild, and of all chase 

In wood or wilderness, forest or den : 

Sporting the lion ramp'd, and in his paw 

Dandled the kid ; bears, tigers, ounces, pards, 

Gambol'd before them ; th' unwieldly elephant, 345 

To make them mirth, used all his might, and wreath 'd 

His lithe proboscis ; close the serpent sly 

Insinuating, wove with Gordian twine 

His braided train, and of his fatal guile 

Gave proof unheeded ; others on the grass 350 

Couch'd, and now fill'd with pasture, gazing sat, 

Or bed ward ruminating ; for the Sun, 

332. Compliant : Bending. 333. Eecline : In a leaning posture. 

334. Damasked: Variegated. 

341. Chase: Chased — those taken in hunting. 

341. Ramped: Frolicked. 347. Lithe: Flexible. 

348. Insinuating : Creeping or winding in. 

348. Gordian twine, or twisting. An allusion is here made to the famous 
knot of Gordius, a Phrygian king. The knot which tied the yoke of his 
chariot to the draught tree was made in so artful a manner, that the ends of 
the cord could not be perceived. This circumstance gave rise to a report 
that the empire of Asia was promised by the oracle to the man who could 
untie the Gordian knot. Alexander, in passing Gordium. cut the knot with 
his sword, and by that act claimed his right to universal authority. 

Braided train: In other editions, breaded ; interwoven or twisted tail. 

351. Couch 7 d: Lay. This word is placed in such a manner as to require 
resting of the voice upon it, and thus to make it doubly expressive. It is 
not common to have the rest occur, as here, on the first syllable of the line. 

352. Bcdward ru,m!nat!>>~ : Chewing the cud before going to rest. — Hume. 



BOOK IV. 171 

Declined, was hasting now with prone career 
To th' ocean isles, and in th' ascending scald 
Of Hcav'n the stars that usher ev'ning rose : 355 

When Satan still in gaze, as first he stood, 
Scarce thus at length fail'd speech recover'd sad : 
Hell ! what do mine eyes with grief behold ! 
Into our room of bliss thus high advanced 

Creatures of other mould, earth-born perhaps, 360 

Not Spirits, yet to heav'nly Spirits bright 
Little inferior ; whom my thoughts pursue 
With wonder, and could love, so lively shines 
In them divine resemblance, and such grace 
The Hand that form'd them on their shape hath pour'd. 365 
Ah, gentle pair, ye little think how nigh 
Your change approaches, when all these delights 
Will vanish and deliver ye to woe, 
More woe, the more your taste is now of joy ! 
Happy, but for so happy ill secured 370 

Long to continue, and this high soat your Heav'n 
HI fenced for Heav'n to keep out such a foe 
As now is enter'd ; yet no purposed foe 
To you, whom I could pity thus forlorn 

Though I unpitied : League with you I seek, 375 

And mutual amity so strait, so close, 

353. Prom: Descending. 

354. To the ocean isles : The islands in the western ocean. That the sun 
set in the sea and rose out of it again, was an ancient poetic notion, and has 
become part of the phraseology of poetry. And in ascending scale of Heaven : 
The balance of Heaven, or Libra, is one of the twelve signs ; and when the 
sun is in that sign, as he is at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights are 
equal, as if weighed in a balance : 

"Libra dici somnique pares ubi fecerlt horas.'' 

Viito Georg i. 20S. 

And hence our author seems to have borrowed his metaphor of the scales of 
Heaven, weighing night and day, the one ascending as the other sinks. — N. 

357. With difficulty, and not till after a long time, he recovered the power 
of speech, which had failed him, through astonishment and sadness . in view 
of Adam and Eve. 

362. Ps. viii. 5 ; Heb. ii. 7. 



172 PARADISE LOST, 

That I with you must dwell, or you with me 

Henceforth. My dwelling haply may not please, 

Like this fair Paradise, your sense ; yet such 

Accept your Maker's work ; he gave it me, 380 

Which I as freely give : Hell shall unfold, 

To entertain you two, her widest gates, 

And send forth all her kings ; there will be room, 

Not like these narrow limits, to receive 

Your num'rous offspring ; if no better place, 385 

Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge 

On you who wrong me not, for him wbo wrong'd. 

And should I at your harmless innocence 

Melt, as I do, yet public reason just, 

Honour and empire with revenge enlarged, 390 

By conqu'ring this new world, compels me now 

To do what else, though damn'd, I should abhor. 

So spake the Fiend, and with necessity, 
The tyrant's plea, excused his dev'lish deeds. 
Then from his lofty stand on that high tree 395 

Down he alights among the sportful herd 
Of those four-footed kinds, himself now one, 
Now other, as their shape served best his end 
Nearer to view his prey, and unespy'd 

To mark what of their state he more might learn 400 

By word or action mark'd ; about them round 
A lion now he stalks with fiery glare ; 
Then as a tiger, who by chance hath spy'd 
In some purlieu two gentle fawns at play, 

386. Loath : Reluctant. 

389-94. Public reason is pleaded in justification of his diabolical and cruel 
operations ; that reason consisting in a regard to honour, and the enlargement 
of his empire under the influence of revenge. Necessity is by Milton called 
the tyrant's plea, probably with a view, as Newton thinks, to his own times, 
particularly to the plea for ship-money. 

395. High tree: The tree of life i 196) on which he had been standing for 
oome time. He is properly described as assuming the form of the lion and 
the tiger; while the innocent Adam and Eve, destined to be his prey, are 
compared fitly to tiro gentle fawns. 

404. Purl ■■! [pur, p ure i * -''■'■• p^acc) place free from trees 1 ; a limited 



BOOK IV. 173 

Straight couches close, then rising changes oft 405 

His couchant watch, as one who chose his ground 

Whence rushing he might surest seize them both 

Griped in each paw : when Adam, first of men 

To first of women Eve, thus moving speech, 

Turn'd him all ear to hear new utt'rance flow : 410 

Sole partner, and sole part, of all these joys, 
Dearer thyself than all ; needs must the Pow'r 
That made us, and for us this ample world, 
Be infinitely good, and of his good 

As liberal and free as infinite ; 415 

That raised us from the dust, and placed us here 
In all this happiness, who at his hand 
Have nothing merited, nor can perform 
Aught whereof he hath need ; he who requires 
From us no other service than to keep 420 

This one, this easy charge, of all the trees 
In Paradise that bear delicious fruit 



space. This word was originally applied to that part of a royal forest which 
had been severed from the rest, and made pure, or free from the forest or 
game laws. 

406. Couchant: Reclining. 

409. Speech : The speeches of these first two lovers flow equally from pas- 
sion and sincerity. The professions they make to one another are full of 
warmth, but at the same time founded upon truth. In a word, they are the 
gallantries of Paradise. — A. 

411. Sole part, of all, $c. : Of, here (as frequently in Milton), signifies 
among. The sense is : among all these joys thou alone art my partner, and 
(what is more) thou alone art part of me, as in 487 : 

" Part of my soul I seek thee, and thee claim 
My other half." 

Pearce. 

421. Easy charge : It was very natural for Adam to enter upon this topic, 
and it was one that Satan was most interested in hearing him discuss. Gen. 
ii. 16; i. 28. 

422. In Paradise, $c. : There is scarce a speech of Adam or Eve in the 
whole poem wherein the sentiments and allusions are not taken from this 
their delightful habitation. The reader, during their whole course of action, 
always finds himself in the walks of Paradise. In short, as the critics have 



174 PARADISE LOST. 

So various, not to taste that only tree 

Of knowledge, planted by the tree of life ; 

So near grows death to life, whate'er death is, 425 

Some dreadful thing no doubt ; for well thou know'st 

God hath pronounced it death to taste that tree, 

The only sign of our obedieuce left 

Among so many signs of pow'r and rule 

Conferr'd upon us, and dominion giv'n 430 

Over all other creatures that possess 

Earth, air, and sea. Then let us not think hard 

One easy prohibition, who enjoy 

Free leave so large to all things else, and choice 

Unlimited of manifold delights : 435 

But let us ever praise him, and extol 

His bounty, following our delightful task 

To prune these growing plants, and tend these flow'rs ; 

Which, were it toilsome, yet with thee were sweet. 

To whom thus Eve reply'd : thou for whom 440 

And from whom I was form'd flesh of thy flesh, 
And without whom am to no end, my guide 
And head, what thou hast said is just and right. 
For we to him indeed all praises owe, 

And daily thanks ; I chiefly who enjoy 445 

So far the happier lot, enjoying thee 
Pre-eminent by so much odds, while thou 
Like consort to thyself canst no where find. 

remarked, that in those poems wherein shepherds are the actors, the thoughts 
ought always to take a tincture from the woods, fields, and rivers ; so we may- 
observe That our first parents seldom lose sight of their happy station in any- 
thing they speak or do ; their thoughts are always " Paradisaical." — A. 

449. I oft remember : From this and other passages we learn that Milton 
considered the period of innocence as covering many days. Compare IV. 
639, 680, 712; V. 31, &c. 

449. That day, fyc. : The remaining part of Eve's speech, in which she gives 
an account of herself upon her first creation, and the manner in which she 
was brought to Adam, is as beautiful a passage as any in Milton, or perhaps 
in any other author whatsoever. These passages are all worked off with 
so much art, that they are capable of pleasing the most delicate reader, with- 
out offending the most severe. — A. 



BOOK IV. 175 

That day I oft remember, when from sleep 

I first awaked, and found myself reposed 450 

Under a shade on flow'rs, much wond'ring where 

And what I was, whence thither brought, and how. 

Not distant far from thence a murm'ring sound 

Of waters issued from a cave, and spread 

Into a liquid plain, then stood unmoved 455 

Pure as th' expanse of Heav'n. I thither went 

With unexperienced thought, and laid me down 

On the green bank, to look into the clear 

Smooth lake, that to me seem'd another sky. 

As I bent down to look, just opposite 460 

A shape within the wat'ry gleam appear'd, 

Bending to look on me. I started back ; 

It started back : but pleased I soon return'd ; 

Pleased it return'd as soon with answ'ring looks 

Of sympathy and love : there I had fix'd 465 

Mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire, 

Had not a voice thus warn'd me. What thou seest, 

What there thou seest, fair Creature, is thyself; 

With thee it came and goes : but follow me, 

And I will bring thee where no shadow stays 470 

Thy coming, and thy soft embraces, he 

Whose image thou art ; him thou shalt enjoy 

Inseparably thine : to him shalt bear 

450. Awaked : As death is often compared to sleep, so our coming into life 
may well be likened to awaking. Adam speaks in the same figure, VIII. 
253, which passage should be compared with this. — N. 

465-6. There I had fixed my eyes till now, fyc. : A writer in Addison's Spec- 
tator rather shrewdly asks, whether there may not be some moral couched 
under the lines in this connection, where the poet lets us know that the first 
woman, immediately after her creation, ran to a looking-glass, and became 
so enamoured of her own face, that she never would have removed to view 
any of the other works of nature, had she not been led off to a man. The 
poet seems to have had in view the story of Narcissus in Ovid, Met. iii. 457, 
but has made a much better one. 

470-72. No shadow may be considered as included in a parenthesis. The 
sentence may accordingly be read thus : Where he (no shadow) , whose image 
thou art, awaits thy coming and thy soft embraces. 



176 PARADISE LOST. 

Multitudes like thyself, and thence be call'd 

Mother of Human Race. What could I do 475 

But follow straight, invisibly thus led ? 

Till I espy'd thee, fair indeed and tall, 

Tinder a platan ; yet niethought less fair, 

Less winning soft, less amiably mild, 

Than that smooth wat'ry image. Back I turn'd : 480 

Thou following cry'dst aloud, Return, fair Eve ; 

Whom fly'st thou ? whom thou fly'st, of him thou art ; 

His flesh, his bone : to give thee being I lent 

Out of my side to thee, nearest my heart 

Substantial life, to have thee by my side 485 

Henceforth an individual solace dear ; 

Part of my soul I seek thee, and thee claim 

My other half : with that thy gentle hand 

Seized mine ; I yielded, and from that time see 

How beauty is excell'd by manly grace 490 

And wisdom, which alone is truly fair/3 

So spake our gen'ral mother, and with eyes 
Of conjugal attraction unreproved, 

478. Platan : From a Greek word signifying broad. The plane-tree, here 
described, affords a refreshing and beautiful shade, from the great breadth of 
its leaves. 

487-88. Part of my soul . ... my other half: An imitation of Horace, Od. 
i. 3, 8, " Animae dimidium mese." 

490. Eve is not only represented as beautiful, but with conscious beauty. 
She has a great idea of herself, and there is some difficulty in prevailing on 
her to quit her own image, the first time she discovers its reflection in the 
water. — Hazlitt. 

492. So spake our general mother, §c. : A poet of less judgment and inven- 
tion than this great author, would have found it very difficult to fill these 
tender parts of the poem with sentiments proper for a state of innocence ; to 
describe the warmth of love, and the professions of it, without artifice or hy- 
perbole ; to make the man speak the most endearing things without descend- 
ing from his natural dignity, and the woman receiving them without depart- 
ing from the modesty of her character: in a word, to adjust the prerogatives 
i >f wisdom and beauty, and make each appear to the other in its proper force 
and loveliness. This mutual subordination of the two sexes is wonderfully 
kept up in the whole poem, as particularly in the preceding speech of Eve, 
;md upon the conclusion of it in the following lines. 



BOOK IV. 177 

And meek surrender, half embracing lean'd 

On our first father ; half her swelling breast 495 

Naked met his under the flowing gold 

Of her loose tresses hid : he in delight, 

Both of her beauty and submissive charms, 

Smiled with superior love, as Jupiter 

On Juno smiles when he impregns the clouds 500 

That shed May flow'rs ; and press'd her matron lip 

With kisses pure. Aside the Devil turn'd 

For envy, yet with jealous leer malign 

Eyed them askance, and to himself thus 'plain'd : 

Sight hateful ! sight tormenting ! thus these two, 505 

Imparadised in one another's arms, 
The happier Eden, shall enjoy their fill 
Of bliss on bliss ; while I to Hell am thrust, 
Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire, 
Among our other torments not the least, 510 

Still unfulfill'd with pain of longing, pines. 
Yet let me not forget what I have gain'd 
From their own mouths : all is not theirs, it seems ; 
One fatal tree there stands, of Knowledge call'd, 
Forbidden them to taste : Knowledge forbidden ? 515 

The poet adds that the devil turned away, with envy at the sight of so 
much happiness. — A. 

499-501. Jupiter and Juno, the principal male and female divinities of the 
heathen, are regarded sometimes as presiding over atmospheric phenomena, 
such as rain, wind, &c, and also as representing the productive energies of 
nature. Their marriage typified the union of Heaven and Earth in the fer- 
tilizing rains. The poet here ascribes to them the sending of those rains 
which produced the flowers of spring. The simile is drawn by Milton from 
the 14th book of the Iliad, and from the Georgics of Virgil, ii. 335. Pressed: 
That is, Adam pressed her matron (married) lip. 

500. Impregns : Renders prolific. The word is pronounced impranes. 
503. Leer malign : A malignant, oblique look. 

505. Imparadised : Enjoying a Paradise, placed in a condition resembling 
that of Paradise. 

509. Where, for whereas. Milton not unfrequently omits the verb is, as in 
VIII. 621. 

5 J 5. Knowledge forbidden : A most artful question from its generality, im- 
S* T 



178 PARADISE LOST. 

Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord 

Envy them that ? Can it be sin to know ? 

Can it be death ? And do they only stand 

By ignorance ? Is that their happy state, 

The proof of their obedience and their faith ? 520 

fair foundation laid whereon to build 

Their ruin ! Hence I will excite their minds 

With more desire to know, and to reject 

Envious commands, invented with design 

To keep them low whom knowledge might exalt 525 

Equal with Gods : aspiring to be such, 

They taste and die. What likelier can ensue ? 

But first with narrow search I must walk round 

This garden, and no corner leave unspy'd : 

A chance but chance may lead where I may meet 330 

Some wand'ring Spirit of Heav'n by fountain side, 

Or in thick shade retired, from him to draw 

What further would be learn'd. Live while ye may, 

Yet happy pair ; enjoy, till I return, 

Short pleasures, for long woes are to succeed. 535 

So saying, his proud step he scornful turn'd, 
But with sly circumspection, and began 
Thro' wood, thro' waste, o'er hill, o'er dale, his roam. 
Meanwhile in utmost longitude, where Heav'n 
With earth and ocean meets, the setting Sun 540 

plying, falsely, that some useful knowledge had been forbidden, whereas, as 
Newton observes, the only knowledge that was prohibited was the knowledge 
of evil by the commission of it. 

530. A chance, §c. : Pearce would include in a parenthesis (but chance) , and 
thus read the passage : a chance, and it can be only a chance, may lead, §c- 
But perhaps it is best to read it without alteration, and interpret it thus :— • 
There is a chance, or possibility, that chance may lead, &c. Chance in the 
second instance is personified. We apply the word to effects or events that 
are produced by causes unknown, or by agents not intending to produce them. 
The word but is used improperly for that, as in Job xii. 2, " No doubt but ye 
are the people," &c. Addison abounds in the same faulty use of this word, 
as for example : " There is no question but Milton had," &c. 

539. Longitude : Length or distance, particularly east and west. See note 
III. 555, 574. 



BOOK IV. 179 

Slowly descended, and with right aspect 

Against the eastern gate of Paradise 

Levell'd his ev'ning rays : it was a rock 

Of alabaster, piled up to the clouds, 

Conspicuous far, winding with one ascent 545 

Accessible from earth, one entrance high ; 

The rest was craggy cliff, that overhung 

Still as it rose, impossible to climb. 

Betwixt these rocky pillars Gabriel sat, 

Chief of th 1 angelic guards, awaiting night ; 550 

About him exercised heroic games 

TV unarmed youth of Heav'n, but nigh at hand 

Celestial armoury, shields, helms, and spears, 

Hung high with diamond flaming, and with gold. 

Thither came Uriel, gliding through th' even 555 

On a sun-beam, swift as a shooting star 

541. Slowly descended : This contradicts 353, and therefore, instead of slowly, 
lowly lias been substituted by some. Dr. Pearce, however, would retain the 
present reading, and explains the difficulty by saying, that the sun descended 
slowly at this time because Uriel, its angel, came on a sunbeam to Paradise 
(556 , and was to return on the same beam, which he could not have done if 
the sun had moved on with its usual rapidity of course. 

541. With right aspect : In a position directly facing. 

548. Still as it rose : More and more as it rose in height. 

549. Gabriel : One of the archangels (Dan. viii. 9 ; Luke i.) The name 
signifies the strength of God. 

551. Heroic games: They watched only at night, and exercised themselves 
vigorously during the day. So the infernal spirits were engaged, in the ab- 
sence of Satan, II. 528. 

555. Through the even : During the last decline of day ; or, through the 
evening sky. 

556. Swift as a shooting star : See Iliad iv. 74, where the descent Oi 
Minerva from Heaven is compared to the same object. 

556. On a sun-beam, $r. : As Uriel was coming from the sun to the earth, 
his traveling upon a sun-beam was in the most direct and level course that 
he could take ; for the sun's rays were now pointed right against the eastern 
gate of Paradise, where Gabriel was sitting, and to whom Uriel was going. 
The thought of making him glide on a sun-beam, I have been informed, is 
taken from some capital picture of some great Italian master, where an angel 
is made to descend in like manner. — N. 



ISO PARADISE LOST. 

In autumn thwarts the night, when vapours fired 

Impress the air, and shews the mariner 

From what point of his compass to beware 

Impetuous winds. He thus began in haste : 560 

Gabriel, to thee thy course by lot hath giv'n 
Charge and strict watch, that to this happy place 
No evil thing approach or enter in. 
This day at bight of noon came to my sphere 
A Spirit, zealous, as he seem'd, to know 565 

More of th' Almighty's works, and chiefly Man, 
God's latest image : I described his way 
Bent all on speed, and mark'd his aery gait ; 
But in the mount that lies from Eden north, 
Where he first lighted, soon discern'd his looks 570 

Alien from Heav'n, with passions far obscured : 
Mine eye pursued him still, but under shade 
Lost sight of him. One of the banish'd crew, 
I fear, hath ventured from the deep, to raise 
New troubles : him thy care must be to find. 575 

To whom the winged warrior thus return'd : 
Uriel, no wonder if thy perfect sight, 
Amid the Sun's bright circle, where thou sitt'st, 
See far and wide : in at this gate none pass 
The vigilance here placed, but such as come 5S0 

Uriel's gliding down to the earth upon a sun-beam, with the poet's device 
to make him descend, as well in his return to the sun as in his coming from 
it, is a prettiness that might have been admired in a little fanciful poet, but 
seems below the genius of Milton. The description of the host of armed 
angels walking their nightly round in Paradise, is of another spirit : 
''So saying, on he led his radiant files, 
Dazzling the moon." — L. 797-98. 

as that account of the hymns which our first parents used to hear them sing 
in these their midnight walks (680-88 1, is altogether divine, and inexpressibly 
amusing to the imagination. — A. 

557. Thwarts the night : Crosses the sky at night. 

561-63., Some would include all except the word Gabriel, in a paren- 
thesis. 

567. The angels were first made in the image of God. See III. 151. 
Described : Observed closely. Some read " descried." 



BOOK IV. 181 

Well known from Heav'n ; and since meridian hour 

No creature thence : if Spirit of other sort 

So minded, have o'erleap'd these earthy bounds 

On purpose, hard. thou know'st it to exclude 

Spiritual substance with corporeal bar. 585 

But if within the circuit of these walks, 

In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom 

Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall know. 

So promised he ; and Uriel to his charge 
Retuin'd on that bright beam, whose point now raised, 590 
Bore him slope downward to the Sun, now fall'n 
Beneath th' Azores ; whether the prime orb, 
Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd 
Diurnal, or this less voliibil earth, 

By shorter flight to th' east, had left him there 595 

Arraying with reflected purple and gold 

590. Returned on that bright beam : Milton supposes that Uriel glides back 
on the same sun-beam that he came upon ; which he considers not as a flow- 
ing point of light, but as a continued rod extending from the sun to the earth. 
The extremity of this luminous rod. while Uriel was discoursing, and the sun 
gradually descending, must necessarily be raised up higher than when he 
came upon it, and consequently bore him slope downward on his way back 
again. This has been represented by Addison as a pretty device, but below 
the genius of Milton 1,5.36) , to make Uriel descend, for the sake of more ease 
and greater expedition, both in his way from the sun, and to the sun again: 
but Milton had no such device here. He makes Uriel come from the sun, not 
on a descending but on a level ray (541 , from the sun's right aspect to the 
east, in the very margin of the horizon. Here is no trick then, nor device ; 
but perhaps a too great desire to show his philosophy, as, in the next lines on 
this common occasion of the sun's setting, he starts a doubt whether that be 
produced in the Ptolemaic or Copemicau way. — Bentley. 

592. Azores : The western islands in the Atlantic, now belonging to Por- 
tugal. The word is here to be pronounced in three syllables. Prime orb : 
The sun, had rolled thither diurnal, in a day's time. Or this less volubil earth : 
The second syllable is long ; when short, Milton spelled it voluble, as in IX. 436. 
Less voluble, means rolling less. It required less motion for the earth to 
move from west to east, upon its own axis, according to the system of 
Copernicus, than for the heavens and heavenly bodies to move from east to 
west according to the system of Ptolemy. Our author, in like manner, III. 
575, questions whether the sun was in the centre of the world or not, so 
scrupulous was he in declaring for any system of philosophy. — N. 



1S2 PARADISE LOST. 

The clouds that on his western throne attend. 

Now came still ev'ning on, and twilight grey 

Had in her sober liv'ry all things clad ; 

Silence accompanied : for beast and bird, 600 

They to their grassy couch, these to their nests, 

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale : 

She all night long her am'rous descant sung : 

Silence was pleased. Now glow'd the firmament 

With living sapphires : Hesperus, that led 605 

The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon, 

Rising in clouded majesty, at length 

Apparent queen, unveil 'd her, peerless light, 

And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw. 

When Adam thus to Eve : Fair Consort, th' hour 610 

Of night, and all things now retired to rest, 
Mind us of like repose, since God hath set 
Labour and rest, as day and night, to men 
Successive ; and the timely dew of sleep 

Now falling, with soft slumb'rous weight inclines 615 

Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long 
Rove idle, unemploy'd, and less need rest ; 
Man hath his daily work of body or mind 

598. This is the first evening in the poem : for the action of the preceding 
hooks lying out of the sphere of the sun, the time could not be computed. 
When Satan came first to the earth, and made his famous soliloquy, at the 
beginning of this book, the sun was high in his meridian tower ; and this is 
the evening of that day ; and surely there never was a finer evening : words 
cannot furnish a more charming description. — N. 

603. Descant : Varied song, or tune. 

605. Hesperus : The planet Venus, when in the west, or, when it is to the 
earth, an evening star. When in the east, a morning star, it bears the 
name of Lucifer, or Light-bringer, because he precedes the sun, and may 
easily be imagined as introducing the King of Day. See note on IX. 49. 

609. Dark: Darkness. 

610. We have another view of our first parents in their evening discourses, 
which are full of pleasing images and sentiments suitable to their condition 
and characters. The speech of Eve, in particular, is dressed up in such a 
soft and natural turn of words and sentiments, as cannot be sufficiently ad- 
mired. — A. 



BOOK IV. 183 

Appointed, which declares his dignity, 

And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways ; 620 

While other animals inactive range ; 

And of their doings God takes no account. 

To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east 

With first approach of light, we must be ris'n, 

And at our pleasant labour, to reform 625 

Yon flow'ry arbours, yonder alleys green, 

Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown, 

That mock our scant manuring, and require 

More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth : 

Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums, 630 

That lie bestrown unsightly and unsmooth, 

Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease ; 

Meanwhile, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest. 

To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd : 
My Author and Disposer, what thou bidst, 635 

Unargued, I obey ; so God ordains ; 
God fs thy law, thou mine ; to know no more 
Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise. 
With thee conversing I forget all time ; 

All seasons and their change, all please alike. 640 

Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet, 

625. Reform : Improve. 

628. Manuring : Cultivation, from the French manaevre, to work with 
hands. 

640. Seasons of the day are intended, as in VIII. 69 ; IX. 200. 

641-56. Milton has been supposed to have derived many of his ideas re- 
specting landscape from Tasso, Spenser, Ariosto, and Italian romances. But 
a poet, accustomed to the environs of Ludlow, could want no adventitious 
aids to form a taste naturally elegant. Nature alone was Milton's book. 

After reading Comus, and the pictures in Paradise Lost, how astonished 
are we at the assertion of Johnson, that Milton viewed nature merely 
through "the spectacle of books." Mistaking allusion for description, tiiis 
great moralist imagines Milton to call in learning as a principal, when he 
calls it in only as an auxiliary. — Bucke. 

641-56. The variety of images in this passage is infinitely pleasing; and 
the recapitulation of each particular image, with a little varying of the ex- 
pression, makes one of the finest turns of words imaginable. — A. 



184 PARADISE LOST. 

With charm of earliest birds ; pleasant the Sun, 

When first on this delightful land he spreads 

His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, 

Glist'ring with dew ; fragrant the fertile earth 645 

After soft show'rs ; and sweet the coming on 

Of grateful ev'ning mild ; then silent Night, 

With this her solemn bird, and this fair Moon, 

And these the gems of Heav'n, her starry train ; 

But neither breath of Morn, when she ascends 650 

With charm of earliest birds ; nor rising Sun 

On this delightful land ; nor herb, fruit, flower, 

Glist'ring with dew ; nor fragrance after showers ; 

Nor grateful ev'ning mild ; nor silent Night 

With this her solemn bird, nor walk by Moon, 655 

Or glitt'ring star-light, without thee is sweet. 

But wherefore all night long shine these ? For whom 

This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes ? 

To whom our general ancestor reply'd : 
Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve, 660 

These have their course to finish round the earth 
By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land 
In order, though to nations yet unborn, 
Minist'ring light prepared, they set and rise ; 
Lest total darkness should by night regain 665 

Her old possession, and extinguish life 
In nature and all things, which these soft fires 
Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat 
Of various influence, foment and warm, 

Temper or nourish, or in part shed down 670 

Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow 

648. Solemn bird : The nightingale. 

67 1 . Their stellar virtue : As Milton was a universal scholar, he had not a 
little affectation of showing his learning of all kinds, and makes Adam dis- 
course here somewhat like an adept in astrology, which was too much the 
philosophy of his own times. What he says afterwards of numberless 
spiritual creatures walking the earth unseen, and joining in praises to their 
great Creator, is of a nobler strain, more agreeable to reason and revelation, 
as well as more pleasing to ! e imagination, and seems to be an imitation 



BOOK IV. 185 

On earth, made hereby apter to receive 
Perfection from the Sun's more potent ray. 
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 
Shine not in vain ^ nor think, tho' men were none, 675 

That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise. 
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth 
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep ; 
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold, 
Both day and night. How often from the steep 680 

Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard 
Celestial voices to the midnight air, 
Sole, or responsive each to other's note, 
Singing their great Creator ! Oft in bands 
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk 685 

With heav'nly touch of instrumental sounds, 
In full harmonic number join'd, their songs 
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heav'n. 
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd 

and improvement of old Hesiod's notion of good geniuses, the guardians of 
mortal men, clothed with air, wandering over the earth. Hesiod i. 120-125. 
— N. 

674. Deep of night : Late hours of night. 

677-78. This is an ancient sentiment. Hesiod and Plato frequently allude 
to the existence of invisible beings. Hesiod represents them as wandering 
over the earth, keeping account of human actions, both just and unjust. 
Chrysostom believed that every Christian has a guardian angel. Cardan 
insists that he was attended by one, as Socrates and Iamblichus, and many 
others supposed themselves to have been. Hermes, a contemporary with 
St. Paul (Rom. xv. 14', assigned to every one not only an angel-guardian, 
but a devil, as a tempter. The late Sir Humphrey Davy firmly believed 
that there are "thinking beings" nearly surrounding us, and to us invjsible. 
To insist that nothing exists but what the human eye can see, is more 
worthy the intellect of a Caliban than that of a Milton, a Newton, a La 
Place, or a Davy. — Bucke. 

A similar expression to "walk the earth," is found in Book VIII. 477, 
"creep the ground." 

683. Sole: Alone. 

685. Nightly rounding: Nightly going round, as a guard. 

688. Divide the night into watches or periods. 

689. Thus talking, <§r. : Adam and Eve, in the state of innocence, are 



186 PARADISE LOST. 

On to their blissful bow'r ; it was a place 690 

Chosen by the Sov'reign Planter, when he framed 

All things to Man's delightful use. The roof 

Of thickest covert was inwoven shade 

Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew 

Of firm and fragrant leaf : on either side 695 

Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub 

Fenced up the verdant wall ; each beauteous flow'r, 

Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine, 

Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought 

Mosaic : underfoot the violet, 700 

Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay 

Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone 

Of costliest emblem. Other creature here, 

Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none: 

Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower 705 

characters well imagined, and well supported ; and the different sentiments 
arising from difference of sex, are traced out with inimitable delicacy and 
philosophical truth. After the fall, the poet makes them retain the same 
characters, without any other change than what the transition from inno- 
cence to guilt might be supposed to produce. Adam has still that pre-emi- 
nence in dignity, and Eve in loveliness, which we should naturally look for 
in the father and mother of mankind. — Beattie. 
693. Shade laurel : Shade of laurel, &c. 

698. Iris all hues : Of all hues. The name of this flower, fleur de lis, or 
fiag-flower, is here called Iris from its colours resembling those of the rain- 
bow. 

699. Flourished : Embellished, beautiful. 

700-1. The violet, Sfc. : A copy of Homer's description in Iliad xiv. 347, 
&c. 

702-3. There are several kinds of mosaic, but all of them consist in im- 
bedding fragments of different coloured substances, usually glass or stones, 
in a cement, so as to produce the effect of a picture. The beautiful chapel 
of St. Lawrence, in Florence, which contains the tombs of the Medici, 
has been greatly admired by artists on account of the vast multitude of 
precious marble, jaspers, agates, avanturines, malachites, &c, applied in 
mosaic upon its walls. — Ure. 

703. Of costliest emblem : Emblem here has the Greek sense of inlay, in- 
sertion, inlaid work, by which mathematical or pictorial figures are pro- 
duced. 



BOOK IV. 187 

More sacred and sequester'd, though hut feign'd, 

Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph 

Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in close recess, 

With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, 

Espoused Eve decked first her nuptial bed, 710 

And heav'nly choirs the hymenean sung, 

What day the genial Angel to our sire 

Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd, 

More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods 

Endow'd with all their gifts : and too like 715 

In sad event, when to th' unwiser son 

Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnared 

Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged 

On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire. 

Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, 720 

707. Pan : A fabled Grecian divinity, who presided over flocks and herds. 
Sylvanus : A rural Italian God. Nymph : In mythology, a goddess of the 
mountains, forests, meadows, or waters. According to the ancients, all the 
world was full of nymphs — some terrestrial, others celestial ; and these had 
names assigned to them according to their place of residence, or the parts of 
the world over which they were supposed to preside. — Bkande. 

708. Faunus : Among the Romans, a kind of demi-god, or rural divinity, 
resembling the Pan, of the Greeks; being possessed, like him, of the power 
of prophecy. In form he resembled a satyr, being represented as half goat 
and half man. He sometimes bears the name of Sylvan. 

714. Pandora: In Grecian mythology, the first mortal female, created by 
Jupiter, for the purpose of punishing Prometheus for stealing fire from 
Heaven, the authentic, or original fire. All the gods vied in making her pre- 
sents, beauty, eloquence, &c, hence her name, which means all-gifted ; but 
Jupiter gave her a box, filled with numberless evils, which she was desired 
to give to the man who married her. She was conducted by Mercury to 
Prometheus, who, sensible of the deceit, would not accept the present ; bu 
his brother Epimetheus, not being equally prudent, fell a victim to Pan 
dora's charms, accepted the box, from which, on its being opened, there 
issued all the ills and diseases which have since continued to afflict the 
human race. Hope remained, however, at the bottom of the box, as the 
only consolation of the troubles of mankind. — Brande. 

For another version of the story consult Anthotvs Class. Diet. 

7iC- liie epithet un wiser, does not imply that his brother Prometheus was 
unwise. Milton uses unwiser as any Latin author would imprudent ior for not 
so wise as he might have been. — Jortin. 



188 PARADISE LOST. 

Both turn'd, and under open sky adored 

The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n, 

Which they beheld, the moon's resplendent globe, 

And starry pole : Thou also mad'st the night, 

Maker omnipotent, and thou the day, 725 

Which we in our appointed work employ'd 

Have finish M, happy in our mutual help 

And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss 

Ordain'd by thee ; and this delicious place 

For us too large, where thy abundance wants 730 

Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground. 

But thou hast promised from us two a race 

To fill the earth, who shall with us extol 

Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake 

And when we seek, as now, thy gift of sleep. 735 

This said unanimous, and other rites 
Observing none, but adoration pure 
Which God likes best, into their inmost bower 
Handed they went ; and eased the putting off 

720-21. Both stood, both turned : A great admirer of Milton observes, that 
he sometimes places two monosyllables at the end of the line, stopping at 
the fourth foot, to adapt the measure of the verse to the sense ; and then 
begins the next line in the same manner, which has a wonderful effect. — N. 

720-38. A masterly transition is here made to their evening worship. Dr. 
Johnson, in his " Life of Milton/' has made a gross attack upon the poet for 
his personal neglect of devotional duties, but the injustice of that attack may 
be inferred from this passage, as well as from several stanzas at the close of 
Book X., and at the beginning of Book XI. ; but, on this point consult Ivimey"s 
Life of Milton, pp. 286-88. 

723. Moon: Virg. JEn. vi. 725, " Lucentemque globum lunas." 

724. Thou also, fyc. : A sudden transition here in the mode of speaking ; 
first, speaking of God, and then suddenly turning the discourse, and speaking 
to him. A similar transition from the third to the second person may be 
seen in the hymn to Hercules, Virg. JEn. viii. 291. — N. 

736. Other rites, Sf-c. : Here, says Thyer, Milton expresses his own favourite 
notions of devotion, which, it is well known, were very much against any- 
thing ceremonial ; he was full of the interior of religion, though he little re- 
garded the exterior. This remark is just only in relation to the national 
church establishment of England, which he held in great disrespect. 

739 Eased: Being relieved from. 



BOOK IV. 1S9 

These troublesome disguises which we wear, 740 

Straight side by side were laid ; nor turn'd I ween 

Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites 

Mysterious of connubial love refused : 

"Whatever hypocrites austerely talk 

Of purity, and place, and innocence, 745 

Defaming as impure what God declares 

Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all. 

Our Maker bids increase ; who bids abstain 

But our Destroyer, foe to God and Man ? 

Hail wedded Love, mysterious law, true source 750 

Of human offspring, sole propriety 

In Paradise of all things common else. 

By thee adult'rous lust was driven from men, 

Among the bestial herds to range ; by thee, 

Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure, 755 

Relations dear, and all the charities 

Of father, son, and brother, first were known. 

Far be 't, that I should write thee sin or blame, 

Or think thee unbefitting holiest place, 

Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets, 760 

Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounced, 

743-750. Mysterious : Involving a secret or hidden meaning, being repre- 
sented by the apostle as emblematic of the spiritual union between Christ 
and his church, Eph. v. 32. 

744. Whatever hypocrites, fyc. : Our author calls those who, under a 
notion of greater purity and perfection, deny and forbid marriage, as they do 
in the Church of Rome, hypocrites ; and says afterwards (749) . that it is the 
doctrine of our Destroyer, in allusion to that passage of St. Paul in 1 Tim. 
iv. 1, 2, 3.— N. 

751-52. Sole propriety : The only property; the only object of which the 
exclusive possession belonged to themselves. Of all, tyc. : Of, as elsewhere 
in this poem, is used in the sense of among. 

756. Ml the charities : A word used in the Latin signification, and, like 
caritatcs. comprehends all the endearments of consanguinity and affinity, as in 
Cicero de Officiis, i. 17, "Cari sunt parentes, cari liberi, propinqui, familia- 
res ; sed omnes omnium caritates patria una complexa est.'' — N. 

761. An allusion is made to Heb. xiii. 4. Though this panegyric upon 
wedded love may be condemned as a digression, yet it can hardly be called 



190 PARADISE LOST. 

Present, or past, as saints and patriarchs used. 

Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights 

His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings, 

Reigns here and revels ; not in the bought smile 765 

Of harlots, loveless, joyless, unendear'd, 

Casual fruition ; nor in court-amours, 

Mix'd dance, or wanton mask, or midnight ball, 

Or serenate, which the starved lover sings 

To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain. 770 

These, lull'd by nightingales, embracing, slept, 

And on their naked limbs the flow'ry roof 

Shower'd roses, which the morn repair'd. Sleep on, 

Blest pair ! and yet happiest, if ye seek 

No happier state, and know to know no more. 775 

Now had Night measured with her shadowy cone 
Half way up hill this vast sublunar vault, 

a digression when it grows so naturally out of the subject, and is introduced 
so properly while the action of the poem is in a manner suspended, and 
while Adam and Eve are lying down to sleep: and if morality be one great 
end of poetry, that end cannot be better promoted than by such digressions 
as this, and that upon hypocrisy at the latter part of the Third Book. — N. 

769. Serenate: For serenade, from the Italian serenata- Starved: Chilled 
with cold, as the serenade is often performed in clear, cold evenings. See 
Horace, Ode iii. 10 : 1 ; i. 25 : 7. 

771. Love: An allusion to Cupid, the heathen divinity, who is usually re- 
presented as a beautiful boy, with bow and arrows, and with wings. 

776. Shadowy cone: The shadow cast by the earth is a cone (a figure 
sloping like a sugar loaf) , the base of it resting upon that side of the globe 
where the light of the sun does not fall, and. consequently, when it is night 
there. This cone, to those who are on the darkened side of the Earth, could 
it be seen, would mount as the sun fell lower, and be at its utmost height in 
the vault of their heaven at midnight. The shadowy cone had now arisen 
half-way to that point ; consequently, supposing it to be about the time 
when the days and nights are of equal length (X. 329) it must be now 
about nine o'clock, the usual time of the angels' setting guard (779) . This 
is marking the time very poetically. — R. 

777. Sublunar vault: The shadow of the earth sweeps the whole arch or 
vault of heaven between the earth and the moon, and extends beyond the 
orbit of the moon, as appears from the eclipses of the moon, which it occa- 
sions. — N. 



BOOK IV. 191 

And from their ivory port the Cherubim 

Forth issuing at th' accustoni'd hour, stood arm'd 

To their night-watches in warlike parade, 780 

When Gabriel to his next in power thus spake : 

Uzziel, half these draw off, and coast the south 
"With strictest watch ; those other wheel the north ; 
Our circuit meets full west. As flame they part ; 
Half wheeling to the shield, half to the spear. 785 

From these, two strong and subtle Spirits he call'd 
That near him stood, and gave them thus in charge : 

Ithuriel and Zephon, with wing'd speed 
Search thro' this garden ; leave unsearch'd no nook ; 
But chiefly where those two fair creatures lodge, 790 

Now laid perhaps asleep, secure of harm. 
This evening from the Sun's decline arrived 
"Who tells of some infernal Spirit seen 
Hitherward bent (who could have thought ?) escaped 
The bars of Hell, on errand bad no doubt : 795 

Such where ye find, seize fast, and hither bring. 

778. Ivory port, or gate : There is no allusion here to the ivory gate of 
sleep mentioned by Homer and Virgil, whence false dreams proceeded; for 
the poet could not intend to insinuate that what he was saying about the 
angelic guards, was all fiction. As the rock was of alabaster (543) , so he 
makes the gate of ivory. Houses and palaces of ivory are mentioned, as 
instances of magnificence, in Scripture, as are, likewise, doors of ivory, in 
Ovid, Met. iv. 185 : 

■ l Lemnius extemplo valvas pateficit eburnas." 

N. 
782. Uzziel : In Hebrew this means " the strength of GodP 

784. As flame they part : A short simile, but expressive of their rapidity of 
movement, and of the brightness of their armour, at the same time. It is 
suited to those beings of whom the Scripture says, " He rnaketh his angels 
spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. ,J 

785. Shield and spear, are here elegantly put for left hand and right. The 
expression may have been borrowed from a phrase in Livy, " Declinare ad 
hastam vel ad scutum," to wheel to the right or left. — Ht/me. 

788. The names of these angels are significant of the offices they per- 
formed. Ithuriel, in the Hebrew means the discovery of God. Zephon, signi- 
fies a secret, or searcher of hearts. 



192 PARADISE LOST. 

So saying, on he led his radiant files, 
Dazzling the moon ; these to the bower direct, 
In search of whom they sought : him there they found, 
Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve, 800 

Assaying by his devilish art to reach 
The organs of her fancy, and with them forge 
Illusions as he list, phantasms and dreams ; 
Or if, inspiring venom, he might taint 

Th' animal spirits that from pure blood arise, 805 

Like gentle breaths from rivers pure, thence raise 
At least distemper'd, discontented thoughts, 
Vain hopes, vain aims, inordinate desires, 
Blown up with high conceits, ingendering pride. 
Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear 810 

Touch'd lightly ; for no falsehood can endure 
Touch of celestial temper, but returns 
Of force to its own likeness. Up he starts, 
Discover'd and surprised. As when a spark 
Lights on a heap of nitrous powder, laid 815 

Fit for the tun some magazine to store 
Against a rumour'd war, the smutty grain 
With sudden blaze diffused, inflames the air; 
So started up in his own shape the Fiend. 
Back stept those two fair Angels, half amazed 820 

So sudden to behold the grisly king ; 

803. As he list : As he pleased. 804. Or if: Or (assaying) if. 

806. Thence : That is, by tainting the animal spirits, he might raise bad 
thoughts and emotions, although they should not lead also to overt trans- 
gression. 

808. Squat : Dr. Campbell remarks that no other word could have so hap- 
pily expressed the posture, as that which the poet has chosen. 

Close at the ear of Eve : Satan's planting himself at the ear of Eve. under 
the form of a toad, in order to produce vain dreams and imaginations, is a 
circumstance that gives an agreeable surprise ; so his starting up in his own 
form is wonderfully fine, both in the literal description and in the moral 
which is concealed under it. His answer (827) upon his being discovered 
and demanded to give an account of himself, is conformable to the pride and 
intrepidity of his character. — A. 

816. Tun : Cask or barrel. 



BOOK IV. 193 

Yet thus, unmoved with fear, accost him soon : 

Which of those rebel Spirits, adjudged to Hell, 
Com'st thou, escaped thy prison ? and transform'd, 
Why sat'st thou like an enemy in wait, 825 

Here watching at the head of these that sleep ? 

Know ye not then, said Satan, fill'd with scorn, 
Know ye not me ? Ye knew me once no mate 
For you ; there sitting where ye durst not soar. 
Not to know me, argues yourselves unknown, 830 

The lowest of your throng ; or if ye know, 
Why ask ye, and superfluous begin 
Your message, like to end as much in vain ? 

To whom thus Zephon, answering scorn with scorn, 
Think not, revolted Spirit, thy shape the same, 835 

Or undiminish'd brightness, to be known 
As when thou stood'st in Heav'n upright and pure ; 
That glory then, when thou no more wast good, 
Departed from thee ; and thou resemblest now 
Thy sin and place of doom obscure and foul. 840 

But come ; for thou, be sure, shalt give account 
To him who sent us, whose charge is to keep 
This place inviolable, and these from harm. 

So spake the Cherub ; and his grave rebuke, 
Severe in youthful beauty, added grace 845 

Invincible. Abash'd the Devil stood, 
And felt how awful goodness is, and saw 
Virtue in her shape how lovely ; saw and pined 
His loss ; but chiefly to find here observed 
His lustre visibly impair 'd ; yet seem'd 850 

834. To xvhom thus Zephon, fyc. : Zephon's rebuke, with the influence i 
had on Satan, is exquisitely graceful and moral. Satan is afterwards led 
away to Gabriel, the chief of the guardian angels, who kept watch in Para- 
dise. — A. 

835-36. The meaning seems to be this : Think not, revolted spirit, thy 
shape to be} the same, or undiminished (thy) brightness, (so as) to be known 
(recognised) as when, &c. 

844. Cherub : A spirit next in order to a seraph. 

848. Pined- Regretted. 

o M 



194 PARADISE LOST. 

Undaunted. If I must contend, said he, 

Best with the best, the sender not the sent, 

Or all at once ; more glory will be won, 

Or less be lost. Thy fear, said Zephon bold, 

Will save us trial what the least can do 855 

Single against thee wicked, and thence weak. 

The Fiend reply'd not, overcome with rage ; 
But like a proud steed rein'd, went haughty on, 
Champing his iron curb. To strive or fly 

He held it vain ; awe from above had quelPd S60 

His heart, not else dismay'd. Now drew they nigh 
The western point, where those half-rounding guards 
Just met, and closing stood in squadron join'd, 
Awaiting next command. To whom their chief, 
Gabriel from the front, thus call'd aloud : 865 

friends, I hear the tread of nimble feet 
Hasting this way, and now by glimpse discern 
Ithuriel and Zephon through the shade, 
And with them comes a third of regal port, 
But faded splendour wan ; who, by his gait 870 

And fierce demeanour, seems the prince of Hell, 
Not likely to part hence without contest : 
Stand firm, for in his look defiance lours. 

He scarce had ended, when those two approach'd, 

852. With the best, fyc. : That is, let me, the best, contend with the best, 
with the sender, not with the sent. 

S56. Thence weak : This sentiment was, probably, drawn from Prov. xxviii. 
1 : " The wicked flee when no man pursueth ; but the righteous are bold as 
a lion." 

858-61. Went haughty on : Satan's disdainful conduct on this occasion, is 
so remarkable a beauty, that the most ordinary reader cannot but take 
notice of it. Gabriel's discovering his approach at a distance, is drawn with 
great strength and liveliness of imagination. 

862. Half-rounding : Going half round. 

865. Gabriel is pronounced here in three syllables. 

866-73. The conference between Gabriel and Satan, abounds with senti- 
ments proper for the occasion, and suitable to the persons of the speakers. 
—A. 

870. Wan : A darkish white. 



BOOK IV. 195 

And brief related whom they brought, wnere found, 875 

How busy'd, in what form and posture couch'd. 

To whom with stern regard thus Gabriel spake : 
Why hast thou, Safan, broke the bounds prescribed 
To thy transgressions, and disturb'd the charge 
Of others, who approve not to transgress 880 

By thy example, but have pow'r and right 
To question thy bold entrance on this place ; 
Employ'd it seems to violate sleep, and those 
Whose dwelling God hath planted here in bliss ? 

To whom thus Satan with contemptuous brow : 885 

Gabriel, thou hadst in Heav'n th' esteem of wise, 
And such I held thee ; but this question ask'd 
Puts me in doubt. Lives there who loves his pain ? 
Who would not, finding way, break loose from Hell, 
Though thither doom'd ? Thou would'st thyself, no doubt, 890 
And boldly venture to whatever place 
Farthest from pain, where thou might'st hope to change 
Torment with ease, and soonest recompense 
Dole with delight, which in this place I sought ; 
To thee no reason, who knowest only good, 895 

But evil hast not try'd : and wilt object 
His will who bound us ? Let him surer bar 
His iron gates, if he intends our stay 
In that dark durance : thus much what was ask'd. 
The rest is true, they found me where they say ; 900 

877. Regard: Look. 

879-SO. Transgressions and transgress, are both used in a physical, and not 
in a moral sense. The boundaries of Hell were those prescribed to the 
movements of Satan, and beyond these Satan was not legally allowed to pass ; 
the holy angels appeared not to pass beyond the limits prescribed for their 
own motions or excursions. 

893. With ease: A Latin idiom. The English idiom would be "for ease.''' 
The meaning is the same. 

894. Dole: Grief. 

896. And wilt object : And wilt thou object, &c. A concise mode of ex- 
pression similar to "and knowest for whom] 1 II. 730. 

899. Durance: Imprisonment. What : As to what, &c. 



196 PARADISE LOST. 

But that implies not violence or harm. 

Thus he in scorn. The warlike Angel moved, 
Disdainfully, half smiling, thus reply'd : 

loss of one in Heav'n to judge of wise, 
Since Satan fell, whom folly overthrew, 905 

And now returns him from his prison 'scaped, 
Gravely in doubt whether to hold them wise 
Or not, who ask what boldness brought him hither, 
Unlicensed from his bounds in Hell prescribed ; 
So wise he judges it to fly from pain 910 

However, and to 'scape his punishment. 
So judge thou still, presumptuous, till the wrath, 
Which thou incurr'st by flying, meet thy flight 
Sev'nfold, and scourge that wisdom back to Hell 
Which taught thee yet no better, that no pain 915 

Can equal anger infinite provoked. 
But wherefore thou alone ? Wherefore with thee 
Came not all Hell broke loose ? Is pain to them 
Less pain, less to be fled ? or thou than they 
Less hardy to endure ? Courageous Chief, 920 

The first in flight from pain, hadst thou alleged 
To thy deserted host this cause of flight, 
Thou surely hadst not come sole fugitive. 

To which the Fiend thus answer'd, frowning stern : 
Not that I less endure, or shrink from pain, 925 

Insulting Angel : well thou know'st I stood 
Thy fiercest, when in battle to thy aid 
The blasting volley'd thunder made all speed, 
And seconded thy else not dreaded spear. 
But still thy words at random, as before, 930 

Argue thy inexperience what behoves 
From hard essays and ill successes past, 
A faithful leader, not to hazard all 
Through ways of danger by himself untry'd : 

904. Of wise : Of what is wise. 

927. Fiercest : Greatest fierceness — the adjective for a substantive. 

931. Inexperience : Want of knowledge. 



BOOK IV. 197 

I therefore, I alone first undertook 935 

To wing the desolate abyss, and spy 

This new-created world, whereof in Hell 

Fame is not silent, "here in hope to find 

Better abode, and my afflicted PowYs 

To settle here on earth, or in mid-air ; 940 

Though for possession put to try once more 

What thou and thy gay legions dare against ; 

Whose easier bus'ness were to serve their Lord 

High up in Heav'n, with songs to hymn his throne, 

And practised distances to cringe, not fight. 945 

To whom the warrior Angel soon reply'd : 
To say and straight unsay, pretending first 
Wise to fly pain, professing next the spy, 
Argues no leader, but a liar traced, 

Satan, and couldst thou faithful add ? name, 950 

sacred name of faithfulness profaned ! 
Faithful to whom ? to thy rebellious crew ? 
Army of Fiends, fit body to fit head. 
Was this your discipline and faith engaged, 
Your military obedience, to dissolve 955 

Allegiance to th' acknowledged Pow'r Supreme ? 
And thou, sly hypocrite, who now wouldst seem 
Patron of liberty, who more than thou 
Once fawn'd, and cringed, and servilely adored 
Heav'n's awful Monarch ? wherefore but in hope 960 

To dispossess him, and thyself to reign ? 
But mark what I arreed thee now, Avaunt ; 
Fly thither whence thou fledst: if from this hour 
Within these hallow'd limits thou appear, 

Back to th' infernal pit I drag thee chain'd, 965 

And seal thee so, as henceforth not to scorn 

945. And : " With" is understood. 

962. Arreed : Advise, or award. 

965. / drag, for I will drag. The present is often thus used for the 
future, to indicate the certainty of the execution of the threat. Compare 
Rev. xx. 3. 



198 PARADISE LOST. 

The facile gates of Hell too slightly harr'd. 

So threaten'd he ; but Satan to no threats 
Gave heed, but, waxing more in rage, reply'd : 

Then when I am thy captive, talk of chains, . 970 

Proud limitary Cherub ; but ere then 
Far heavier load thyself expect to feel 
From my prevailing arm, though Heav'n's King 
Ride on thy wings, and thou with thy compeers, 
Used to the yoke, draw'st his triumphant wheels 975 

In progress through the road of Heav'n star-paved. 

While thus he spake, th' angelic squadron bright 
Turn'd fiery red, sharp'ning in mooned horns 
Their phalanx, and began to hem him round 
With ported spears, as thick as when a field 980 

Of Ceres ripe for harvest waving bends 
Her bearded grove of ears, which way the wind 
Sways them ; the careful plowman doubting stands, 
Lest on the threshing-floor his hopeful sheaves 
Prove chaff. On th' other side Satan, alarm'd, 985 

Collecting all his might, dilated stood, 
Like Teneriff or Atlas, unremoved : 
His stature reach'd the sky, and on his crest 

967. Facile: Easy. 

971. Limitary: A scornful expression as here used by Satan, taunting him 
with being placed at the limit as a guard, as if it was a very subordinate 
occupation. The epithet was suggested by what the angel said. 964. 

974. Wings: Imagery drawn from Ps. xviii. 10-12: "He rode upon a 
cherub, and did fly." See Ezek. i., x., xi. 

978. Mooned horns : Horns like the moon. 

9S0. Ported spears : Spears carried with points towards him. 

986-87. Dilated stood : The word dilated expresses very strongly the atti- 
tude of an eager and undaunted combatant, whose fury not only seems to 
erect and enlarge his stature, but expands, as it were, his whole frame, and 
extends every limb. The use of the word unremov'd for immovable, is very 
poetical, and corresponds with conjugal attraction unreprov'd (492) . — Thyer. 

987. With more fitness is this comparison employed here than a similar 
one by Virgil in relation to iEneas, JEn. xii. 701. 

988. His stature, $c. ; Imagery derived from Homer's Discord, Iliad iv. 
445, and Virgil's Fame, iEn. iv. 177 : 

'' Increditurqup solo, et caput inter nubila conJit." 



BOOK IV. 199 

Sat horror plumed ; nor wanted in his grasp 

What seem'd both spear and shield. Now dreadful deeds 990 

Might have ensued, nor only Paradise 

In this commotion," but the starry cope 

Of Heav'n perhaps, or all the elements 

At least had gone to wrack, disturb'd and torn 

With violence of this conflict, had not soon 995 

Th' Eternal to prevent such horrid fray, 

Hung forth in Heav'n his golden scales, yet seen 

989. Sat horror plumed : Horror is personified, and is made the plume of 
his helmet. How much nobler an idea is this than the horses' tails, and 
sphinxes, and dragons, on the helmets of the ancient heroes, or even than 
the Chimaera vomiting flames, on the crest of Turnus, JEn. vii. 78-5. — N. 
992. Cope : Arch, or concave. 

994. Collecting all his might : Satan clothing himself with terror when 
he prepares for the combat, is truly sublime, and, at least, equal to Homer's 
description of Discord, celebrated by Longinus. or to that of Fame, in Virgil, 
who are both represented with their feet standing on the earth and their 
heads reaching above the clouds. It may here be remarked, that Milton is 
everywhere full of hints, and sometimes literal translations, taken from the 
greatest of the Greek and Latin poets. — A. 

997. Scales : The breaking off c-f the combat between Gabriel and Satan 
by the hanging out of the golden scales in heaven, is a refinement upon Ho- 
mer's thought, who tells us that before the battle between Hector and Achilles, 
Jupiter weighed the event of it in a pair of scales. Book xxii. 
" Jove lifts the golden balances, that show 
The fates of mortal men and things below ; 
Here each contending hero's lot he tries, 
And weighs, with equal hand, their destinies. 
Low sinks the scale surcharged with Hector's fate ; 
Heavy with death it sinks, and hell receives the weight." 

Virgil, before the last decisive combat, describes Jupiter in the same man- 
ner, as weighing the fates of Turnus and iEneas. Milton, though he fetched 
this beautiful circumstance from the Iliad and iEneid, does not only insert it 
as a poetical embellishment, like the authors above-mentioned, but makes an 
artful use of it for the proper carrying on of his story, and for the breaking 
oft' of the combat between the two warriors, who were upon the point of en- 
gaging. To this we may further add, that Milton is the more justified in 
this passage, as we find the same noble allegory in holy writ, where a wicked 
prince, some few hours before he was assaulted and slain, is said to have been 
" weighed in the scales and to have been found wanting." — A. 

Further illustrations maybe found in Job xxviii. ; xxxvii. ; Is. xl. ; 1 Sam 
ii. 3; Prov. xvi. 2. 



200 PARADISE LOST. 

Betwixt Astrea and the Scorpion sign, 

Wherein all things created first he weigh 'd, 

The pendulous round earth with balanced air 1000 

In counterpoise, now ponders all events, 

Battles, and realms : in these he put two weights, 

The sequel each of parting and of fight ; 

The latter quick up flew, and kick'd the beam ; 

Which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the Fiend : 1005 

Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine ; 
Neither our own, but giv'n. What folly then 
To boast what arms can do ? since thine no more 
Than Heav'n permits, nor mine, though doubled now 
To trample thee as mire : for proof look up, 1010 

And read thy lot in yon celestial sign, 
Where thou art weigh'd, and shewn how light, how weak, 

998-99. Yet seen betwixt Astrea, <§-c. : The constellation Libra, or the Scales, 
situated between Astraea, or Virgo, and the Scorpion constellation. 

1000. Pendulous : Suspended. 

1003. Bentley suggests signal as a better word than sequel, but it does not 
so well accord with the classical passages whence Milton probably derived 
the sentiment. See Iliad viii. 69 and ^Eneid xii. 725. Seqi;el is here put 
for that which determined the sequel, consequences, or event, either of parting 
or of fight. The weight which decided upon fighting proved the lighter, of 
course demonstrated that in arms he would prove inferior to Gabriel v 1012 : 
the other weight, being the heavier, showed that it was his wisest course to 
hasten away from the meditated combat. Newton has called attention to the 
difference between Milton's account of the scales and that of Homer and Vir- 
gil. In these the fates of the two combatants being weighed one against the 
other, and the descent of one of the scales indicating the approaching death of 
him whose fate lay in that scale, quo vergat pondere lethum : whereas in Mil- 
ton nothing is weighed but what relates to Satan only, and in the two scales 
are weighed the two different events of his retreating and of his fighting ; and 
this for the purpose simply of satisfying himself, or enabling him to read his 
own destiny. The celestial scales (Libra) are used for this purpose — a sub- 
lime idea. This instance leads Newton justly to remark that, when Milton 
imitates a fine passage, he does not imitate it servilely, but makes it an ori- 
ginal of his own by his manner of varying and improving it. 

1008. Thine and mine are to be referred to strength (1006) . 

1012. The ascending scale is not made the sign of victory, as in Homer 
and Virgil, but of lightness and weakness, according to that of Belshazzar, 



BOOK IV. 



201 



If thou resist. The Fiend look'd up, and knew 

His mounted scale aloft : nor more ; but fled 

Murm'ring, and with him fled the shades of night, r 1015 

Dan. v. 27, " Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting." So 
true it is, that Milton oftener imitates Scripture than Homer and Virgil, even 
when he is thought to imitate them most. — N. 



DIFFICULTIES IN EXECUTING THE PORTRAIT OF OUR 

FIRST PARENTS. 
The difficulty which met Milton in his portrait of our first parents was, 
obviously, to make them perfect, without being unnatural ; to make them 
sinless, and yet distinguish them from angels ; to show them human, yet un- 
fallen ; to make, in short, a new thing on the earth ; a man and woman 
beautiful beyond desire, simple beyond disguise, graceful without conscious- 
ness, naked without shame, innocent but not insipid, lofty but not proud ; 
uniting in themselves the qualities of childhood, manhood, and womanhood 
as if, in one season, spring, summer, and autumn could be imagined. This 
was the task Milton had to accomplish ; and, at his bidding, there arose the 
loveliest creatures of the human imagination, such as poet's eye never, before 
or since, imaged in the rainbow or the moonshine, or saw in the light of 
dreams ; than fairies more graceful, than the Cherubim and the Serapliim 
themselves more beautiful. 

Milton's Adam is himself, as he was in his young manhood, ere yet the 
cares of life had ploughed his forehead, or quenched his serene eyes. Eve, 
again, is Milton's life-long dream of what woman was, and yet may be — a 
dream from which he again and again awoke, weeping, because the bright 
vision had passed away, and a cold reality alone remained. You see in her 
every lineament, that he was one, who, from the loftiness of his ideal, had 
been disappointed in woman. In the words, frequently repeated as a speci- 
men of a blunder, 

"Adam, the goodliest man of men, since born 
His sons ; the fairest of her daughters. Eve." 

he has unwittingly described the process by which his mind created them. 
Adam is the goodliest of his sons, because he is (poetically) formed by com- 
bining their better qualities ; and thus are the children the parents of their 
father. Eve is the fairest of her daughters ; for it would require the collected 
essence of all their excellences to form such another Eve. — Gilfillan. 

9* 



BOOK V. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Morning approached, Eve relates to Adam her troublesome dream ; ne 
likes it not, yet comforts her ; they come forth to their day labours ; their 
morning hymn at the door of their bower. God, to render man inexcusable, 
sends Raphael to admonish him of his obedience, of his free estate, of his 
enemy near at hand, who he is, and why his enemy, and whatever else may 
avail Adam to know. Raphael comes down to Paradise, his appearance de- 
scribed, his coming discerned by Adam afar off. sitting at the door of his 
bower ; he goes out to meet him, brings him to his lodge, entertains him 
with the choicest fruits of Paradise got together by Eve ; their discourse at 
table ; Raphael performs his message, minds Adam of his state and of his 
enemy ; relates, at Adam's request, who that enemy is, and how he came 
to be so, beginning from his first revolt in Heaven, and the occasion thereof; 
how he drew his legions after him to the parts of the north, and there incited 
them to rebel with him, persuading all but only Abdiel, a Seraph ; who in 
argument dissuades and opposes him, then forsakes him. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

This Book consists of elements of the same character and of similar combi- 
nation as the Fourth. Eve's dream, and the manner of relating it are in a very 
high degree poetical. Here the invention is perfect in imagery, sentiment, 
and language. The approach of the angel Raphael, as viewed at a distance 
by Adam, is designed with all those brilliant circumstances, and those unde- 
iinable touches, which give the force of embodied reality to a vision. 

The hints of a large part of the incidents are taken from the Scriptures ; 
but the invention is not on that account the less. To bring the dim, gene- 
ral idea into broad light in all its lineaments, is the difficulty, and requires 
the power. 

The conversation between Raphael and Adam is admirably contrived on 
both sides. Those argumentative portions of the poem are almost always 
grand. Now and then, indeed, the bard indulges in the display of too much 
abstruse learning, or metaphysical subtleties. In relating the cause of Satan's 
rebellion, Raphael sustains all the almost unutterable sublimity of his sub- 
ject.' The hero is drawn wicked and daring beyond prior conception, but 
mighty and awful as he is wicked. Language, to express these high thoughts, 
would have sunk before any other genius but Milton's ; and as he had to 
convey the movements of heavenly spirits by earthly comparisons, the diffi- 
culty increased every step — E. B. 



BOOK V. 



Now morn her rosj steps in th' eastern clime 

Advancing, sow'd the earth with orient pearl, 

When Adam waked, so custom'd, for his sleep 

Was aery light from pure digestion bred, 

And temp'rate vapours bland, which th' only sound 5 

Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan, 

2. Orient pearl was esteemed the most valuable. In Don Quixote is this 
passage : " She wept not tears but seed-pearl, or morning dew ; and he 
thought higher, that they were like orient pearls." 

The goddess Aurora, says Dr. Anthon, sometimes represented in a saffron- 
coloured robe, with a wand or torch in her hand, coming out of the golden 
palace, and ascending a golden chariot. Homer describes her as wearing a 
flowing veil, which she throws back to denote dispersion of the night, and 
as opening with her rosy fingers the gates of day. Others represent her as a 
nymph crowned with flowers, with a star above her head, standing in a 
chariot drawn by winged horses, while in one hand she holds a torch, and 
with the other scatters roses, as illustrative of the flowers which spring from 
the dew, which the poets describe as diffused from the eyes of the goddess 
in liquid pearls. 

5. Only : for alone. 

6. Fuming: Virg. Georg. ii. 217. Aurora's fan is here put for the morn- 
ing wind, or breeze ; thus, in the translation of a poem of Du Bartas, is this 
line : " Call forth the winds. Oh Heaven's fresh fans, quoth he. 7 ' Also in 
this passage : 

" . ... now began 
Aurora's usher with her windy fan, 
Gently to shake the woods on every side. 



J04 PARADISE LOST. 

Lightly dispersed, and the shrill matin song 

Of birds on ev'ry bough ; so much the more 

His wonder was to find unwaken'd Eve 

With tresses discomposed, and glowing cheek, 10 

As through unquiet rest ; he on his side 

Leaning, half raised, with looks of cordial love 

Hung over her enaniour'd, and beheld 

Beauty, which whether waking or asleep, 

Shot forth peculiar graces ; then with voice 15 

Mild, as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes, 

Her hand soft touching, whisper'd thus : Awake, 

My fairest, my espoused, my latest found, 

7. Matin : Virg. Mn. viii. 456 : 

" Kt matutini volucium sub culmine cantus.'' 

Though Milton seems to have derived hints and expressions from a great 
variety of sources, yet, as Brydges well observes, " he almost always gave 
a new character to what he took. The similar passages so numerously 
pointed out by commentators, are not similar in force and poetical spirit. 
Words, simple or compound, may be borrowed ias in line 5, above, and in 
other lines, from Sylvester's 'Du Bartas") , bat the context and application 
are different. Just as the brick, which is taken from a cottage, may be 
worked into the walls of a palace ; but is the architecture of the palace 
therefore taken from the cottage ? Many of the words used by Milton may 
be found in the most miserable poetasters of his predecessors." 

9. His wonder was, fyc. : We were told, in the foregoing Book, how the 
evil spirit practised upon Eve as she lay asleep, in order to inspire her with 
thoughts of vanity, pride, and ambition. The author, who shows a wonder- 
ful art throughout his whole poem, in preparing the reader for the several 
occurrences that arise in it, founds upon the above-mentioned circumstance 
the first part of the Fifth Book. Adam, upon his awaking, finds Eve still 
asleep, with an unusual discomposure in her looks. The posture in which 
he regards her, is described with a tenderness not to be expressed, as the 
whisper with which he awakens her is the softest that was ever conveyed 
to a lover's ear. — A. 

11. Unquiet rest: In the last Book Satan was represented as infusing im- 
proper thoughts into her mind ; hence this effect. 

1 6. Zephyrus : A soft and gentle wind ; the west wind. Flora : The god- 
dess of blossoms and flowers. 

17-18. Awake, my fairest : It should not be overlooked that Milton, in the 
conferences between Adam and Eve, had his eye very frequently upon the 



BOOK V. 205 

HeavVs last best gift, my ever new delight, 

Awake ; the morning shines, and the fresh field 20 

Calls us ; we lose the prime, to mark how spring 

Our tender plants, how blows the citron grove, 

What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed, 

How Nature paints her colours, how the bee 

Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet. 25 

Such whisp'ring waked her, but with startled eye 
On Adam, whom embracing, thus she spake : 

sole in whom my thoughts find all repose, 
My glory, my perfection, glad I see 



Book of Canticles (Song of Solomon), in which there is a noble spirit of 
eastern poetry, and very often not unlike what we meet with in Homer, 
who is generally placed near the age of Solomon. There is no question 
that the poet, in the speech that follows, remembered those two passages 
which are spoken on a like occasion, and filled with the same pleasing 
images of nature. " My beloved spake, and said unto me, ' Rite up, my 
love, my fair one. and come away ; for lo ! the winter is past, the rain is 
over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of 
birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig-tree 
putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a 
good smell. Arise, my love, my- fair one, and come away.' " — " Come, my 
beloved ! let us go forth into the field ; let us get up early to the vineyards ; 
let us see if the vine flourish ; whether the tender grapes appear and the 
pomegranates bud forth." 

His preferring the garden of Eden to that 

" where the sapient king 

Held dalliance with liis> fair Kgyptian spouse," 

shows that the poet had this delightful scene in his mind. — A. 

21. Prime : Best part of the day (170 ; IX. 200) . 

24. I am inclined to think that this mention of Nature is the only blemish 
in the passage. None of Adam's curious questionings, which writers have 
reprobated, were unnatural in a being continually contemplating the uni- 
verse with an undimmed eye ; but it is very inconsistent to suppose he 
would personify the principle of things, and separate its operation from the 
immediate action of the divine hand. Nature was a noble and splendid 
conception in the minds of the heathen poets and philosophers, but it is a 
puerile contradiction after the thoughts have been long fixed on a personal 
deity.— S. 

28. O sole : O thou only one. 



206 PARADISE LOST. 

Thy face, and morn return'd ; for I this night 30 

(Such night till this I never pass'd) have dream'd, 

If dream'd, not as I oft am wont, of thee, 

Works of day past, or morrow's next design, 

But of offence and trouble, which my mind 

Knew never till this irksome night. Methought, 35 

Close at mine ear one call'd me forth to walk, 

With gentle voice ; I thought it thine : it said, 

Why sleep'st thou, Eve ? now is the pleasant time, 

The cool, the silent, save where silence yields 

To the night-warbling bird, that now awake 40 

Tunes sweetest his love-labour'd song ; now reigns 

Full orb'd the moon, and with more pleasing light 

Shadowy sets off the face of things ; in vain, 

If none regard ; Heav'n wakes with all his eyes, 

Whom to behold but thee, Nature's desire ? 45 

In whose sight all things joy, with ravishment 

Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze. 

I rose as at thy call, but found thee not ; 

To find thee I directed then my walk ; 

And on, methought, alone I pass'd through ways 50 

30. For I this night, 6fc. : The breaks in Eve's narration, are extremely 
beautiful, and adapted to the circumstances of one just awakened, before the 
thoughts were well recollected. — Stillingfleet. 

38-47. Why slcepcst thou, &fc. : Eve's dream is full of those high conceits 
engendering pride, which, we are told, the devil endeavoured to instill into 
her. Of this kind is that part of it where she fancies herself awakened by 
Adam, in the beautiful lines that follow. 

An injudicious poet would have made Adam talk through the whole work 
in such sentiments as these ; but flattery and falsehood are not the courtship 
of Milton's Adam, and could not be heard by Eve in her stale of innocence, 
excepting only in a dream produced on purpose to taint her imagination. 
Other vain sentiments of the same kind, in this relation of her dream, will 
be obvious to every reader. Though the catastrophe of the poem is finely 
presaged on this occasion, the particulars of it are so artfully shadowed, that 
they do not anticipate the story which follows in the Ninth Book. It may 
be added, that though the vision itself is founded upon truth, the circum- 
stances of it are full of that wildness and inconsistency which are natural to 
a dream. — A. 

41. His: The nightingale is also sometimes spoken of as feminine. 



BOOK V. 



207 



That brought me on a sudden to the tree 

Of interdicted knowledge : fair it seein'd, 

Much fairer to my fancy than by day : 

And as I wond'ring look'd, beside it stood 

One shaped and wing'd, like one of those from Heav'n 55 

By us oft seen. His dewy locks distill'd 

Ambrosia : on that tree he also gazed ; 

And fair plant, said he, with fruit surcharged, 

Deigns nono to ease thy load and taste thy sweet 

Nor God, nor Man ? is knowledge so despised ? 60 

Or envy, or what reserve forbids to taste ? 

Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold 

Longer thy offer'd good : why else set here ? 

This said, he paused not, but with vent'rous arm 

He pluck'd, he tasted ! Me damp horror chilPd 65 

At such bold words vouch'd with a deed so bold : 

But he thus overjoy'd, fruit divine, 

Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropt, 

Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit 

For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men : 70 

And why not Gods of Men, since good, the more 

Communicated, more abundant grows, 

The Author not impair'd, but honour'd more ? 

Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve, 

Partake thou also ; happy though thou art, 75 

Happier thou may'st be, worthier canst not be : 

Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods 

Thyself a Goddess, not to earth confined, 

53. Much fairer to my fancy than by day : As the sensations are often 
more pleasing, and the images more lively, when we are asleep, than when 
we are awake; and what can be the cause of this? Our author plainly 
thinks jt may be effected by the agency of some spiritual being upon the 
sensory while we are asleep. — N. 
57. Ambrosia : Virg. Mi\. i. 403 : 

" ilmbrosiceque com«e divinum vertice odorem 
Spiiavere.'' 

66. Vouched : Confirmed. 

67. Overjoyed : After this word supply declared. 



208 PARADISE LOST. 

But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes 

Ascend to Heav'n, by merit thine, and see 80 

What life the Gods live there, and such live thou. 

So saying, he drew nigh, and to me held, 

Ev'n to my mouth, of that same fruit held part 

Which he had pluck'd. The pleasant sav'ry smell 

So quicken'd appetite, that I, methought, 85 

Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds 

With him I flew, and underneath beheld 

The earth outstretch'd immense, a prospect wide 

And various ; wond'ring at my flight and change 

To this high exaltation ; suddenly 90 

My guide was gone, and I, methought, sunk down, 

And fell asleep ; but how glad I waked 

To find this but a dream ! Thus Eve her night 

Related ; and thus Adam answer'd sad : 

Best image of myself and dearer half, 95 

The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep 
Affects me equally ; nor can I like 
This uncouth dream, of evil sprung I fear ; 
Yet evil whence ? In thee can harbour none, 
Created pure. But know, that in the soul 100 

Are many lesser faculties, that serve 
Reason as chief : among these Fancy next 
Her office holds. Of all external things 
Which the five watchful senses represent, 

She forms imaginations, aery shapes ; 105 

Which Reason joining or disjoining, frames 

79. An ellipsis is here to be supplied: But sometimes (ascend) in the air, 
as we do, &c. 

93. Night : For " dreams of night." 

95. The general style in which, throughout the poem, Eve is addressed by 
Adam, or described by the poet, is in the highest degree of compliment ; yet 
that which distinguishes Milton from the other poets, who have pampered 
the eye and fed the imagination with exuberant descriptions of female beauty, 
is the moral severity with which he has tempered them. There is not a 
line in his works which tends to licentiousness, or the impression of which, 
if it has such a tendency, is not effectually checked by thought and senti- 
ment. — Hazlitt. 



209 



All what we affirm or what deny, and call 

Our knowledge or opinion ; then retires 

Into her private cell when Nature rests. 

Oft in her absence" mimic Fancy wakes 110 

To imitate her ; but misjoining shapes, 

Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams, 

111 matching words and deeds long past or late. 

Some such resemblances methinks I find 

Of our last evening's talk, in this thy dream, 115 

But with addition strange ; yet be not sad. 

Evil into the mind of God or Man 

May come and go, so unapproved, and leave 

No spot or blame behind : Which gives me hope 

That what in sleep thou didst abhor to dream 120 

Waking thou never wilt consent to do. 

Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud those looks 

That wont to be more cheerful and serene 

Than when fair morning first smiles on the world ; 

And let us to our fresh employments rise 125 

Among the groves, the fountains, and the flowers 

That open now their choicest bosom'd smells, 

Reserved from night, and kept for thee in store. 
i So cheer'd he his fair spouse, and she was cheer'd ; 
1 But silently a gentle tear let fall 130 

From either eye, and wiped them with her hair. 

Two other precious drops that ready stood, 

Each in their crystal sluice, he ere they fell 

KissM as the gracious signs of sweet remorse 

And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended. 135 

So all was clear'd, and to the field they haste. 

But first, from under shady arborous roof 

Soon as they forth were come to open sight 

J 17. The word God, in this line, may be regarded as synonymous with 
angel, being sometimes used by the sacred writers in this sense. John x. 
35. The poet, in lines 60, 70, uses the word in this sense. — S. 

129. So cheered he, fyc. : Adam, conformable to his character for superior 
wisdom, instructs and comforts Eve upon this occasion. — A. 

137. Arborous roof: Roof composed of branches of trees. 

N 



210 PARADISE LOST. 

Of day-spring, and the Sun, who scarce up risen, 

With wheels yet hov'ring o'er the ocean brim, 140 

Shot parallel to th' earth his dewy ray, 

Discovering in wide landskip all the east 

Of Paradise and Eden's happy plains, 

Lowly they bow'd, adoring, and began 

Their orisons, each morning duly paid 145 

In various style ; for neither various style 

Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise 

Their Maker, in fit strains pronounced or sung 

Unmeditated ; such prompt eloquence 

Flow'd from their lips, in prose or num'rous verse, 150 

More tuneable than needed lute or harp 

To add more sweetness ; and they thus began : 

These are thy glorious works, Parent of Good, 
Almighty, thine this universal frame, 

Thus wondrous fair : thyself how wondrous then ! 155 

Unspeakable, who sit'st above these Heav'ns 
To us invisible, or dimly seen 
In these thy lowest works : yet these declare 
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine. 
Speak ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, 160 

153. These are thy ivorks, §c. : Here commences a most noble hymn in 
praise ot the Deity. It is written in imitation of one of those Psalms, 
■where, in the overflowings of gratitude and praise, the Psalmist calls not 
only upon the angels, but upon the most conspicuous parts of the inanimate 
creation, to join with him in extolling their common Maker. Invocations 
of this nature fill the mind w r ith glorious ideas of God's works, and awaken 
that divine enthusiasm which is so natural to devotion. But if this calling 
upon the dead parts of nature, is, at all times, a proper kind of worship, it 
was, in a peculiar manner, suitable to our first parents, who had the creation 
fresh upon their minds, and had not seen the various dispensations of Provi 
dence, nor, consequently, could be made acquainted with those many topics 
of praise which might afford matter to the devotions of their posterity. I 
need not remark the beautiful spirit of poetry which runs through this 
whole hymn, nor the holiness of that resolution with which it concludes. — 
A. 

160. Speak ye, Sfc. : He is unspeakable (156) : no creature can speak wor- 
thily of him as he is ; but speak ye who are best able, ye angels, &c. 



BOOK V. 211 

Angels ; for ye behold Him , and with songs 

And choral symphonies, day without night, 

Circle his throne rejoicing ! ye in Heav'n, 

On Earth join all" ye Creatures to extol 

Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. 165 

Fairest of stars, last in the train of night, 

If better thou belong not to the dawn, 

Sure pledge of day, that crown 'st the smiling morn 

"With thy bright circlet, praise him in thy sphere, 

While day arises, that sweet hour of prime. 170 

Thou Sun, of this great world both eye and soul, 

Acknowledge him thy greater ; sound his praise 

In thy eternal course, both when thou climb'st, 

And when high noon hast gain'd, and when thou fall'st. 

Moon, that now meets the orient Sun, now fly'st, 175 

With the fix'd stars, fix'd in their orb that flies, 

And ye five other wand'ring fires that move 

162. Day without night : Without night such as ours ; yet, not without 
a grateful vicissitude. See Book V. 628-9, 645-6 ; VI. 8. 

166. Fairest of stars : Venus, here spoken of as the morning star, being so 
a part of the year. There is a discrepancy, however, with Book IV. 605. 
if we consider Milton as implying that at this time the planet was a morn- 
ing star. We must regard this as a general hymn of praise, suited to any 
season of the year. 

170. Prime : Dawn ; so called because it is the first part of day. 

172. Thy greater: Thy superior. The sun is here beautifully personified. 

175-76. The train of thought is -this: Thou moon, that sometimes dost ap- 
proach the bright sun in thy monthly circuit (from full moon to new moon) , 
and dost sometimes recede as from new to full moon\ resound his praise in 
connection with the fixed stars, &c. See note on 177. 

176. Fixed in their orb (or concentric, crystalline sphere) , that flies, or re- 
volves rapidly around the earth; that is, appears to do so. VIII. 19, 21. 

177. Ye five other: Dr. Bentley reads four, Venus and the Sun and Moon 
having been already mentioned, and only four more remaining. Mercury, 
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, according to the discoveries of Milton's age. We 
must either suppose that Milton did not consider the morning star as the 
planet Venus, which would explain the difficulty suggested in line 166; or 
he must be supposed to include the earth, to make up the other five besides 
those he had mentioned ; and he calls it, VIII. 129, the planet Earth, though 



212 PARADISE LOST. 

In mystic dance not without song, resound 

His praise, who out of darkness call'd up light. 

Air, and ye Elements, the eldest birth 180 

Of Nature's womb, that in quaternion run 

Perpetual circle, multiform, and mix 

And nourish all things ; let your ceaseless change 

Vary to our great Maker still new praise. 

Ye Mists and Exhalations that now rise 185 

From hill or steaming lake, dusky or grey, 

Till the Sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold, 

In honour to the world's great Author rise, 

Whether to deck with clouds the uncolour'd sky, 

Or wet the thirsty earth with falling show'rs, 190 

Rising or falling still advance his praise. 

His praise, ye Winds, that from four quarters blow 

Breathe soft or loud ; and wave your tops, ye Pines, 

With every plant ; in sign of worship wave. 

Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow, 195 

Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise. 

Join voices all ye living Souls ; ye Birds, 



this is not agreeable to the system according to which he is speaking at pre- 
sent. — N. 

Wandering fires : The planets are thus designated in distinction from the 
fixed stars, that do not change their position in the heavens relative to one 
another. 

178. Not without song : An allusion to the Pythagorean theory, called 
" the music of the spheres," by which was only intended, according to 
Bishop Newton, the proportion, regularity, and harmony of their motions : 
but see note on 625. 

180. Elements : It was once supposed that fire, air, earth, and water, were 
simple bodies, out of which the world was composed. Modern science has 
entirely overturned this theory. See Book III. 715. 

181. That in quaternion run, fyc. : That in a fourfold mixture and combina- 
tion run a perpetual circle, one element continually changing into another, 
according to the doctrine of Heraclitus, borrowed from Orpheus. Cicero de 
Nat. Deor. ii. 33.— N. 

197. Souls: The word is used here, as it sometimes is in Scripture, for 
other creatures besides man. Gen. i. 20, 30, marginal readings. — N. 



BOOK V. 213 

That singing up to Heaven-gate ascend, 

Bear on your wings and in your notes his praise. 

Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk 200 

The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep, 

Witness if I be silent, morn or ev'n, 

To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade, 

Made vocal by my song, and taught his praise. 

Hail Universal Lord, be bounteous still 205 

To give us only good ; and if the night 

Have gather'd aught of evil, or conceal'd, 

Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark. 

So pray'd they innocent, and their thoughts 
Firm peace recover'd soon, and wonted calm. 210 

On to their morning's rural work they haste, 
Among sweet dews and flow'rs ; where any row 
Of fruit trees over-woody reach'd too far 
Their pamper'd boughs, and needed hands to check 
Fruitless embraces ; or they led the vine 215 

To wed her elm ; she spoused about him twines 

198. To Heaven gate ascend: Shakspeare had used the same hyperbole, 
Cymbeline, Act ii. ; also in Sonnet xxix. 

202. It is a curious question, why the singular pronoun / is here used in- 
stead of the plural, since Adam and Eve were both engaged in this religious 
service. The most plausible explanation is that which Stebbing furnishes. 
He says, that from Milton's known opinion on the subject of female modesty 
and subjection, it is easy to suppose he never intended to represent Ere as 
audibly accompanying the devotions of her husband ; an idea which is 
strengthened by referring to 1 Cor. xiv. 34, and J Tim. ii. 11. But Bishop 
Newton explains the matter by saying, that Milton here imitates the ancient 
chorus, where sometimes the plural and sometimes the singular number is 
used. 

205-8. This petition resembles a well-known petition in Plato, offered to 
Jupiter : " Give us good things whether we pray for them or not, and remove 
from us evil things, even though we pray for them ; and Xenophon tells us 
that Socrates was in the habit of praying to the gods simply for good things, 
as they knew best what things were best. 

214. Pamper'd boughs : Boughs overgrown with superfluous leaves and 
fruitless branches ; from the French pampre. — N. 

216. To wed her elm : An allusion to Ovid, Met. xiv. 661. Virgil likewise 
employs the metaphor of the vine embracing the elm, Georg. ii. 367. 



214 PARADISE LO.*T, 

Her marriageable arms, and with her brings 

Her dow'r th' adopted clusters, to adorn 

His barren leaves. Them thus employ'd beheld 

"With pity Heav'n's high King, and to him call'd 220 

Raphael, the sociable Spirit, that deign'd 

To travel with Tobias, and secured 

His marriage with the sev'ntimes-wedded maid. 

Raphael, said he, thou hear'st what stir on Earth 
Satan from Hell, 'scaped thro' the darksome gulf, 225 

Hath raised in Paradise, and how disturb'd 
This night the human pair, how he designs 
In them at once to ruin all mankind. 
Go, therefore, half this day as friend with friend 
Converse with Adam, in what bow'r or shade 230 

Thou find'st him from the heat of noon retired, 
To respite his day-labour with repast, 
Or with repose ; and such discourse bring on 
As may advise him of his happy state, 

Happiness in his pow'r left free to will, 235 

Left to his own free will, his will though free, 
Yet mutable ; whence warn him to beware 
He swerve not too secure. Tell him withal 
His danger, and from whom ; what enemy, 
Late fall'n himself from Heav'n, is plotting now 240 

The fall of others from like state of bliss. 
By violence ? No, for that shall be withstood; 
But by deceit and lies. This let him know, 
Lest wilfully transgressing he pretend 
Surprisal, unadmonish'd, unforewarn'd. 245 

So spake th' Eternal Father, and fulfill'd 
All justice : nor delay'd the winged Saint 
After his charge received ; but from among 



222. Tobias : The story here alluded to may be found in the apocryphal 
book of Tobit. 

224. Raphael : This good spirit is characterized by affability, and by pecu- 
liar benevolence towards mankind. 

235. In his power : In the power of him. 



BOOK V. 215 

Thousand celestial Ardours, where he stood 

Veil'd with his gorgeous wings, up springing light 250 

Flew through the midst of Heav'n ; th' angelic choirs, 

On each hand parting, to his speed gave way 

Through all th' empyreal road ; till at the gate 

Of Heav'n arrived, the gate self-open'd wide 

On golden hinges turning, as hy work 255 

Divine the Sov'reign Architect had framed. 

From hence no cloud, or, to obstruct his sight, 

Star interposed, however small, he sees, 

Not unconform to other shining globes, 

Earth and the gard'n of God, with cedars crown'd 260 

Above all hills. As when by night the glass 

Of Galileo, less assured, observes 

249. Ardours : This term is applied to heavenly spirits either on account of 
their brightness or their zeal. Seraphim has the same meaning in Hebrew. 

253. Empyreal : Formed of pure fire, or refined light. 

254-56. Till at the gate, &>-c. : This passage contrasts beautifully in sound 
with that which describes the gates of Hell, Book II. 879-83. See Ho- 
mer's Iliad, v. 749. 

Raphael's departure from before the throne and his flight through the choirs 
of angels, is finely imagined. As Milton everywhere fills his poem with 
circumstances that are marvellous and astonishing, he describes the gate of 
Heaven as framed after such a manner that it opened of itself upon the ap- 
proach of the angel who was to pass through it. 

The poet in these lines seems to have regarded two or three passages in 
the 18th Iliad, as that in particular where, speaking of Vulcan, Homer says 
that he had made twenty tripods running on golden wheels, which, upon oc- 
casion, might go of themselves to the assembly of the gods, and, when there 
was no more use for them, return again after the same manner. 

But, as the miraculous workmanship of Milton's gates is not so extraordi- 
nary as this of the tripods, I am persuaded he would not have mentioned iti 
had he not been supported in it by a passage of Scripture which speaks of 
wheels in Heaven that had life in them, and moved of themselves, or stood 
still, in conformity with the Cherubim whom they accompanied. 

There is no question that Milton had this circumstance in his thoughts, 
because, in the following Book he describes the chariot of the Messiah with 
living wheels, according to the plan in Ezekiel's vision. — A. 

258. Interposed : Being interposed ; no cloud or star being interposed to 
obstruct his sight, he sees, however small, &c. 

262. Assured : Certain, or accurate. Galileo was the first who used the 



216 PARADISE LOST. 

Imagined lands and regions in the moon : 

Or pilot, from amidst the Cyclades 

Delos or Samos first appearing, kens 265 

A cloudy spot. Down thither prone in flight 

He speeds, and through the vast ethereal sky 

Sails between worlds and worlds, with steady wing 

Now on the polar winds, then with quick fan 

Winnows the buxom air : till within soar 270 

Of towVing eagles, to all the fowls he seems 

A Phoenix, gazed by all, as that sole bird, 

telescope for astronomical purposes. He was visited by Milton, while in 
Italy, as we learn from the jlreopagitica. The glass, by a figure of speech, 
is said to observe the moon, the instrument being put for the astronomer who 
looks through it. 

264. The Cyclades, embracing Delos and Samos, are Islands of the Grecian 
Archipelago. 

265. Kens a cloudy spot : Descries indistinctly those islands ; judging them 
at their first appearance to be clouds. The angel had a more distinct view 
of the Earth and Paradise. 

267-85. He speeds, fyc. : Raphael's descent to the earth, with the figure of 
his person, is represented in very lively colours, and conformably to the no- 
tions given of angels in Scripture. Milton, after having set him forth in all 
his heavenly plumage, and represented him as having alighted upon the earth, 
the poet concludes his description with a circumstance which is altogether 
new, and imagined with the greatest strength of fancy. Raphael's reception 
by the guardian angels, his distant appearance to Adam, have all the graces 
that poetry is capable of expressing. 

270. Beats the yielding, or obedient air. 

272. Phasnix that sole bird : The epithet sole is applied to this fabulous 

bird, because only one of the species was thought to exist at a time. Its 
plumage was exceedingly beautiful. Having lived to the advanced age of 
about six hundred years, it constructs a funeral pile of light wood and odorous 
gums, upon which, kindled by the rays of a tropical sun, it is consumed. 
Another phxnix starts up from the ashes, bears away the relics of the pile 
to Thebes in Egypt, and places them in the Temple of the Sun, other birds 
accompanying him in this operation, and gazing upon him. 

According to another account, she lighted the combustible pile with the 
fanning of her wings, and thus apparently consumed herself, but not really ; 
this being the process by which she endowed herself with new vitality : she 

then 

Mounts from her funeral pyre on wings of flame. 
And soars and shines, another and the same '. 



When to inshrine his reliques in the Sun's 

Bright temple, to Egyptian Thebes he flies. 

At once on th' eastern cliff of Paradise 275 

He lights, and to his proper shape returns, 

A seraph wing'd ; six wings he wore, to shade 

His lineaments divine ; the pair that clad 

Each shoulder broad, came mantling o'er his breast 

With regal ornament ; the middle pair 280 

Girt like a starry zone his waist, and round 

Skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold 

And colours dipt in Heav'n ; the third his feet 

Shadow'd from either heel with feather'd mail, 

Sky-tinctured grain. Like Maia's son he stood, 285 

And shook his plumes, that heav'nly fragrance fill'd 

The circuit wide. Straight knew him all the bands 

Of Angels under watch ; and to his state, 

And to bis message high in honour rise ; 

For on some message high they guess'd him bound. 290 

Their glitt'ring tents he pass'd, and now is come 

Into the blissful field, through groves of myrrh 

And flow'ring odours, cassia, nard, and balm : 

A wilderness of sweets ; for Nature here 

This fable, which varies in form in different writers, has been used as an 
illustration of the doctrine of the resurrection ; sometimes as an emblem ol 
the renovation of the world, and the revival of a golden age of the world. 
See Brande's Diet. 

276. Proper shape : His own shape, or rather, his usual attitude. When 
flying he seemed to the birds a phcenix ; now, with his wings adjusted, in the 
manner afterwards described, he appears what he really was, a Seraph. 

284. Feathered mail: The feathers lie one short of another, resembling 
the plates of metal of which coats of mail are composed. — R. 

Sky-tinctured grain: The fibre, or substance dyed of a sky colour; there- 
fore beautiful and durable. 

285. Maia's son : Mercury. The poet alludes to the account given bj 
Homer and Virgil of Mercury's rapid descent to the earth as a messenger oi 
the gods. Iliad, xxiv. 339 ; JEn. iv. 253. See Dryden's translation of the 
latter. 

294-97. Wilderness of sweets : A wild, uncultivated forest of sweet odours. 
Wantoned as in her prime: Roved without restraint, as being in her first and 
10 



218 PARADISE LOST. 

Wanton'd as in her prime, and play'd at will 295 

Her virgin fancies, pouring forth more sweet, 

Wild above rule or art, enormous bliss. 

Him through the spicy forest onward come 

Adam discern'd, as in the door he sat 

Of his cool bow'r, while now the mounted Sun 300 

Shot down direct his fervid rays to warm 

Earth's inmost womb, more warmth than Adam needs : 

And Eve within, due at her hour prepared 

For dinner sav'ry fruits, of taste to please 

True appetite, and not disrelish thirst 305 

Of nect'rous draughts between, from milky stream, 

Berry or grape. To whom thus Adam calPd : 

Haste hither, Eve, and, worth thy sight, behold 
Eastward among those trees, what glorious shape 
Comes this way moving ; seems another morn 310 

Risen on mid-noon ; some great behest from Heav'n 
To us perhaps he brings, and will vouchsafe 
This day to be our guest. But go with speed, 
And what thy stores contain bring forth, and pour 
Abundance, fit to honour and receive 315 

Our heav'nly stranger : well we may afford 
Our givers their own gifts, and large bestow 
From large bestow'd, where Nature multiplies 
Her fertile growth, and by disburd'ning grows 

best state. Nature pouring forth more sweet : Producing that which was more 
sweet for the reason that neither rule nor art had anything to do in its pro- 
duction. Enormous bliss : This delightful fragrance was enormous bliss ! 
that is. it was the source of such bliss ; it was a source of the highest physical 
gratification. 

310-1 1. Seems another morn, §c. : What an original and splendid thought ; 
Such lustre as morning imparts to night, this angel's brightness imparts to noon- 
day. His light is as much greater than an ordinary noon -day, as the light of 
the morning is superior to the glimmerings of the night. It must be under- 
derstood before see7ns. 

316-17. Well ive may afford, $c. : This sentiment should be engraven on 
the mind as a motive to contribute liberally to all those humane and religious 
objects which God has made it our duty to sustain and to promote. 



BOOK V. 219 

More fruitful ; which instructs us not to spare. 320 

To whom thus Eve : Adam, earth's hallow'd mould, 
Of God inspired, small store will serve, where store, 
All seasons, ripe for use hangs on the stalk, 
Save what by frugal storing firmness gains 
To nourish, and superfluous moist consumes : 325 

But I will haste, and from each bough and brake, 
Each plant and juiciest gourd, will pluck such choice 
To entertain our Angel guest, as he 
Beholding shall confess, that here on Earth 
God hath dispensed his bounties as in Heav'n. 330 

. So saying, with dispatchful looks in haste 
She turns, on hospitable thoughts intent 

321-22. EarMs hallotved mould, t$c. : Form or model. A phrase descriptive 
of Adam. 

325. Superfluous moist consumes : This is rather too philosophical for the 
female character of Eve. One of the poet's greatest faults is his introducing 
inconsistencies in the characters both of angels and man, by mixing too much 
with them his own philosophical notions. — T. 

326. Each bough and brake, fyc. : The bough belongs to fruit trees ; the 
plant is such as that which produces strawberries, &c. ; the gourd includes 
such as lie on the earth ; and the brake is the species between trees and plants; 
a bu6h. — P. 

327. Choice : Choice (fruits) . 

332. On hospitable thoughts, $e. : The author here gives us a particular de- 
scription of Eve in her domestic employments. Though in this and other 
parts of the same Book, the subject is only the housewifery of our first pa- 
rent, it is set off with so many pleasing images and strong expressions, as 
make it none of the least agreeable parts in this divine work. — A. 

Sir E. Brydges, however, expresses a different and discordant opinion. 
" If I may venture," says he, " to express my frank opinion, I confess that I 
do not admire this description of Eve's housewifery and table-entertainmer.t 
of the angel : it was not necessary, and had been better omitted. The pic- 
ture is too earthly, too familiar — I had almost said too coarse. It breaks in 
upon the imaginative spell; — that dimness and mysteriousness in which 
spiritual poetry delights." 

In defence of Milton, however, against the force of this criticism, it may be 
urged, that he probably designed to inculcate, and to enforce, by the highest 
example of female loveliness, a virtue which in some quarters is too much 
neglected — that of looking well " to the ways of one's household." — Job xxxi. 
15,27. 



220 PARADISE LOST. 

What choice to choose for delicacy best, 

What order, so contrived as not to mix 

Tastes, not well join'd, inelegant, hut bring 335 

Taste after taste upheld with kindliest change ; 

Bestirs her then, and from each tender stalk 

Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields 

In India East or West, or middle shore 

In Pontus or the Punic coast, or where 340 

Alcinous reign'd, fruit of all kinds, in coat 

Rough or smooth rined, or bearded husk, or shell, 

She gathers, tribute large, and on the board 

Heaps with unsparing hand. For drink, the grape 

She crushes, inoffensive must, and meaths 345 

From many a berry, and from sweet kernels press'd 

She tempers dulcet creams, nor these to hold 

Wants her fit vessels pure, then strews the ground 

With rose and odours from the shrub unfumed. 

Mean while our primitive great sire, to meet 350 

His god-like guest, walks forth, without more train 
Accompany'd than with his own complete 

333. Choice to choose : Milton and the classical poets often indulge in alli- 
teration. See Book VIII. 130 ; IX. 289 ; XI. 427. 

339. Middle shore : A comma seems to be required after shore, and then the 
expression may indicate, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. 

340. Pontus : A region of Asia Minor bordering on the Black Sea. Punic : 
Carthaginian, in Africa, nearly opposite to Sicily. Alcinous: A king of 
Ph facia, distinguished for his love of agriculture. The gardens of Alcinous 
are described by Homer and succeeding poets. He dwelt on the island of 
Corfu, called by Homer Scheria. 

345. Inoffensive must : This new wine he calls inoffensive, to indicate that it 
was not intoxicating, not fermented, but simply the mild juice of the grape. 
Meaths : Sweet liquors. 

3-18. Wants her: Are there wanting to her. Vessels, (i. e.) shells of fruits, 
IV. 335, •' and in the rind.' 17 

349. Shrub unfumed : The shrub gave forth odours without the application 
of fire and the emission of smoke. The expression here used of strewing the 
ground with odours, is highly poetical. 

351 . Without more train : That is, iri/h no more train, SfC. 

:j".:. Walks forth, fyr.; The natural majesty of Adam, and, at the same 



BOOK V. 221 

Perfections : in him self was all his state, 

More solemn than the tedious pomp that waits 

On princes, when their rich retinue long 355 

Of horses led, and grooms besmear'd with gold, 

Dazzles the crowd, and sets them all agape. 

Nearer his presence Adam, though not awed, 

Yet with submiss approach and rev'rence meek, 

As to a superior nature, bowing low, 360 

Thus said : Native of Heav'n, for other place 

None can than Heav'n such glorious shape contain ; 

Since by descending from the thrones above, 

Those happy places thou hast deign'd a while 

To want, and honour these, vouchsafe with us 365 

Two only, who yet by sov'reign gift possess 

This spacious ground, in yonder shady bow'r 

To rest, and what the garden choicest bears 

To sit and taste, till this meridian heat 

Be over, and the Sun more cool decline. 370 

Whom thus the angelic virtue answer'd mild : 
Adam, I therefore came ; nor art thou such 
Created, or such place hast here to dwell, 
As may not oft invite, though Spirits of Heav'n, 
To visit thee. Lead on then where thy bow'r 375 

O'ershades ; for these mid hours, till ev'ning rise, 
I have at will. So to the sylvan lodge 
They came, that like Pomona's arbour smiled 
With flow'rets deck'd and fragrant smells ; but Eve 

time, his submissive behaviour to the superior being who had vouchsafed to 
be his guest ; the solemn " hail" which the angel bestows (388) upon the 
mother of mankind, with the figure of Eve ministering at the table (444-51 \ 
are circumstances which deserve to be admired. — A. 

356. Besmear'd : Hor. Ode iv. 9 : 14, " Aurum vestibus illitum." 

359. Submiss : Poetic term for submissive, respectful. 

369. To sit and taste : That is, to taste while sitting. II. 917. 

371. Virtue: Spirit. 

374. After invite, us is to be understood. 

377. Jit will : At my disposal. 

378. Pomona's : Goddess of gardens and fruits. Ovid, Met. xiv. 623. 



222 PARADISE LOST. 

Undeck'd save with herself, more lovely fair 380 

Than Wood-Nymph, or the fairest Goddess feign'd 

Of three that in mount Ida naked strove, 

Stood to entertain her guest from Heav'n. No veil 

She needed, virtue-proof; no thought infirm 

Alter'd her cheek. On whom the Angel Hail 3S5 

Bestow'd ; the holy salutation used 

Long after to blest Mary, second Eve. 

Hail Mother of Mankind, whose fruitful womb 
Shall fill the world more num'rous with thy sons, 
Than with these various fruits the trees of God 390 

Have heap'd this table. Raised of grassy turf 
Their table was, and mossy seats had round, 
And on her ample square, from side to side, 
All autumn piled, tho' spring and autumn here 
Danced hand in hand. A while discourse they hold ; 395 

No fear lest dinner cool ; when thus began 
Our author : Heav'nly stranger, please to taste 
These bounties which our Nourisher, from whom 
All perfect good, unmeasured out, descends, 

380. Undecked save with herself: A remarkable expression. She had no 
ornament besides that which was furnished by her own beautiful form. In a 
like elegant manner is Adam elsewhere described : " In himself was all his 
state," all his grandeur. 

381. Wood-Nymph : The nymphs of ancient fiction were viewed as holding 
a sort of intermediate place between men and gods, as to the duration of life ; 
not being absolutely immortal, yet living a vast Lngth of time. They were 
generally represented as young and beautiful virgins, partially covered with 
a veil or thin cloth, bearing in their hands vases of water, or shells, leaves, 
or grass, or having something as a symbol of their appropriate offices. — Fiske. 

381. Fairest Goddess : Venus, the goddess of beauty, to whom, in a con- 
test with Juno and Minerva for the purpose, the prize of beauty was 
awarded by Paris ; hence her zeal for the interest of the Trojans in their 
war with the Greeks, and hence the opposition to the Trojans of those other 
goddesses. 

385. Virtue-proof : This word refers to the veil, as evidence of the virtue 
of modesty, according to the customs of the East. 

387. Lake i. 2, 8. 

394. All autumn : All the fruits of autumn. 



book v. 223 

To us for food, and for delight hath caused 400 

The earth to yield ; unsav'ry food perhaps 
To spiritual natures : only this I know, 
That one celestial Father gives to all. 

To whom the Angel : Therefore, what he gives 
(Whose praise be ever sung) to Man in part 405 

Spiritual, may of purest Spirits be found 
No ingrateful food : and food alike those pure 
Intelligential substances require, 
As doth your rational ; and both contain 

Within them ev'ry lower faculty 410 

Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste, 
Tasting concoct, digest, assimilate, 
And corporeal to incorporeal turn. 
For know, whatever was created, needs 

To be sustain 'd and fed : of elements 415 

The grosser feeds the purer ; earth the sea, 
Earth and the sea feed air ; the air those fires 
Ethereal, and as lowest first the moon ; 
Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurged 
Vapours not yet into her substance turn'd. 420 

402. Spiritual: Angelic. 

407-8. Pure intelligential substances : Unbodied minds. In man, the 
rational substance is united with a material body. This poetic account of 
angels' food, may have been suggested by the expression " angels' food," in 
Ps. lxxviii. 25. 

414. For know, &fc. : Here follows a rather curious and obsolete disser- 
tation upon physics. Modern science repudiates such representations. 

419-20. Spots, Sfc. : It is certainly a great mistake to attribute the spots 
in the moon to vapours not yet turned into her substance. They are owing to 
the irregularities of her surface, and to the different nature of its constituent 
parts, land, and water. It is certainly very unphilosophical to say (426) that 
the sun sups with the ocean, but it is not unpoetical. And whatever other 
faults are found in this passage, they are not so properly the faults of Milton 
as of his times, and of those systems of philosophy which he had learned in 
his younger years. If he had written after the late discoveries and improve- 
ments in science, he would have written in another manner : yet a greater 
latitude may be indulged to a poet than to a philosopher, in writing upon 
physical subjects. 



224 PARADISE LOST. 

Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale 

From her moist continent to higher orbs. 

The Sun, that light imparts to all, receives 

From all his alimental recompense 

In humid exhalations, and at even 425 

Sups with the ocean. Though in Heav'n the trees 

Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines 

Yield nectar ; though from off the boughs each morn 

We brush mellifluous dews, and find the ground 

Cover'd with pearly grain, yet God hath here 430 

Vary'd his bounty so with new delights, 

As may compare with Heav'n ; and to taste 

Think not I shall be nice. So down they sat, 

And to their viands fell ; nor seemingly 

The Angel, nor in mist, the common gloss 435 

Of Theologians ; but with keen dispatch 

Of real hunger and concoctive heat 

To transubstantiate ; what redounds, transpires 

Through Spirits with ease : nor wonder, if by firo 

Of sooty coal the empiric alchemist 440 

Can turn, or holds it possible to turn, 

Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold, 

As from the mine. Mean while at table Eve 

Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups 

With pleasant liquors crown'd. innocence 445 

421. Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale, Sfc. : A Latin form of ex- 
pression (Georg. i. 83) for, " and the moon does nourishment exhale." 

422. Moist continent : Shakspeare, in Hamlet, calls the moon " the moist 
star.' ; 

426. Ps. cv. 40 ; Rev. xxii. 2. 

435-36. In mist: In an unsubstantial manner. See Gen. xviii., xix. Gloss: 
Explanation. Dispatch: Haste. 

437. Concoctive, fyc. : With digesting heat to change into another (that is, 
angelic) substance. 

439. If: Since. 

440. Empiric : Versed in experiments. 

445. Crown'd: An expression drawn from classical writers. It means 
filled. 



BOOK v. 225 

Deserving Paradise ! if ever, then, 

Then had the sons of God excuse to have been 

E nam our 'd at thy sight ; but in those hearts 

Love unlibidinous reign 'd, nor jealousy 

Was understood, the injured lover's Hell. 450 

Thus, when with meats and drinks they had .sufficed, 
Not burden'd nature, sudden mind arose 
In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass 
Giv'n him by this great conference, to know 
Of things above his world, and of their being 455 

Who dwell in Heav'n, whose excellence he saw 
Transcend his own so far, whose radiant forms 
Divine effulgence, whose high pow'r so far 
Exceeded human ; and his wary speech 
Thus to th' empyreal minister he framed : 460 

Inhabitant with God, now know I well 
Thy favour in this honour done to Man, 
Under whose lowly roof thou hast vouchsafed 
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste, 
Food not of Angels, yet accepted so, 465 

As that more willingly thou couldst not seem 
At Heav'n's high feasts to have fed : yet what compare ? 

To whom the winged Hierarch reply'd : 

447. An allusion to Gen. vi. 2, though it denotes angels, and not, as in that 
passage, the pious portion of the human family. The repetition of the 
adverb then, gives great emphasis to the sentiment advanced. 

451. Sufficed: Satisfied. 

452. Not burdened : This furnishes an invaluable hint as to the proper use 
of food. Milton was a very temperate man himself. 

458. Divine effulgence is in apposition with radiant forms., and is explana 
tory of the latter phrase. 

467. Compare: Similitude. 

468. To whom, fyc. : Raphael's behaviour is every way suitable to the 
dignity of his nature, and to that character of a sociable spirit with which 
the author has so judiciously introduced him. He had received instructions 
to converse with Adam, as one friend converses with another, and to warn 
him of the enemy who was contriving his destruction. Accordingly he is 
represented as sitting down at table with Adam, and eating of the fruits of 
Paradise, The occasion naturally leads him to his discourse on the food of 

io* 



226 PARADISE LOST. 

Adam, one Almighty is, from whom 

All things proceed, and up to him return, 470 

If not depraved from good, created all 

Such to perfection, one first matter all, 

Endued with various forms, various degrees 

Of substance, and in things that live, of life : 

But more refined, more spirituous, and pure, 475 

As nearer to him placed, or nearer tending 

Each in their sev'ral active spheres assign'd, 

Till body up to spirit work, in bounds 

Proportion 'd to each kind. So from the root 

Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves 480 

More aery, last the bright consummate flow'r 

Spirits odorous breathes : flow'rs and their fruit, 

Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublimed, 

To vital spirits aspire, to animal, 

To intellectual : give both life and sense, 485 

Fancy and understanding ; whence the soul 

Reason receives, and reason is her being, 

Discursive or intuitive : discourse 

angels. After having thus entered into conversation with man upon more 
indifferent subjects, he warns him of the necessity of obedience, and makes 
a natural transition to the history of that angel who was employed in the 
circumvention of our first parents. — A. 

471. Created all, fyc. : That is, created all good — good to perfection; not 
absolutely so, but perfect in their different kinds and degrees, and all consist- 
ing of one first matter, which first matter is indued ^indutus) clothed upon, 
with various forms, &c. — N. 

474. Substance : Solidity. 

478. Bounds : Limits or degrees. 

478. Dr. Adam Clarke, in a volume of his sermons, makes some acute 
observations on the materialism of this poem ; but it is not necessary, or 
proper, perhaps, to interpret it so exactly and literally as to furnish a just 
foundation for a charge so grave. Bishop Newton also finds fault with the 
metaphysics of the poet in this passage, and regards it as particularly un- 
warrantable to attribute to an angel his own false notions in philosophy. 

482. Spirits odorous : Spirits is pronounced here in two syllables, but in 484 
in one syllable. The second syllable of odorous is long. 

488. Discursive: Employing the process of argument. Intuitive: Dis- 



book v. 227 

Is oftest yours ; the latter most is ours, 

DifPring but in degree ; of kind the same. 490 

Wonder not then, what God for you saw good, 

If I refuse not, but convert, as you, 

To proper substance : time may come, when Men 

With Angels may participate, and find 

No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare ; 495 

And from these corp'ral nutriments perhaps 

Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit, 

Improved by tract of time, and wing'd ascend 

Ethereal, as we, or may at choice 

Here or in heav'nly Paradises dwell ; 500 

If ye be found obedient, and retain 

Unalterably firm his love entire, 

Whose progeny you are. Mean while enjoy 

Your fill what happiness this happy state 

Can comprehend, incapable of more. 505 

To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd : 
favourable Spirit, propitious guest, 
Well hast thou taught the way that might direct 
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set 
From centre to circumference, whereon 510 

In contemplation of created things, 
By steps we may ascend to God. But say, 

cerning the truth of propositions immediately, without resorting to argu- 
mentation. Discourse : Discursive reason. The power and the act of com- 
paring propositions, and, from this comparison, of drawing conclusions or 
consequences. 

491. What: The object of refuse — that is, wonder not then if I refuse not 
what God saw good for you. 

498. Tract: Duration. 

504. Your fill : Here may be appended a comma, or the preposition of 
may be supplied. 

509-1 0. The scale, or ladder, of nature ascends by steps from a point, a 
centre, to the whole circumference of what mankind can see or comprehend. 
The metaphor is bold and expressive. Matter — one first matter is that 
centre. Diversified nature is the scale which reaches on all sides beyond 
our utmost conceptions. — R. 

512. Every part of the vast system of the universe is not only connected 



22S PARADISE LOST 

What meant that caution join'd, If ye he found 

Obedient ? Can we want obedience then 

To him, or possibly his love desert, 515 

Who form'd us from the dust, and placed us here 

Full to the utmost measure of what bliss 

Human desire can seek or apprehend? 

To whom the Angel : Son of Heav'n and Earth, 
Attend. That thou art happy, owe to God ; 520 

That thou continuest such, owe to thyself; 
That is, to thy obedience : therein stand. 
This was that caution giv'n thee ; be advised. 
God made thee perfect, not immutable ; 

And good he made thee : but to persevere 525 

He left it in thy pow'r ; ordain 'd thy will 
By nature free, not over- ruled b}' fate 
Inextricable, or strict necessity, 
Our voluntary service he requires, 

Not our necessitated : such with him 530 

Finds no acceptance, nor can find ; for how 
Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve 
Willing or no, who will but what they must 
By destiny, and can no other choose ? 

Myself and all th' angelic host, that stand 535 

In sight of God enthroned, our happy state 
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds : 
On other surety none. Freely we serve, 
Because we freely love, as in our will 

To love or not : in this we stand or fall : 540 

And some are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n, 
And so from Heav'n to deepest Hell. fall, 
From what high state of bliss into what woe ! 

with the rest by a kind of natural necessity, but the connection is apparent 
to the contemplative eye of reason ; and hence, having become acquainted 
With the lowest circumstance in it, the mind is carried gradually and easily 
on, till it looks down from the highest point on the whole grand creation of 
God.— S. 

520. Owe to God : Acknowledge your obligations to God. 

521. Owe to thyself: Be indebted to thyself, to thy continued obedience 



book v. 229 

To whom our great progenitor : Thy words 
Attentive, and with more delighted ear, 545 

Divine Instructor, I have heard, than when 
Cherubic songs by night from neighb'ring hills 
Aereal music send ; nor knew I not 
To be both will and deed created free ; 

Yet that we never shall forget to love 550 

Our Maker, and obey him whose command 
Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts 
Assured me, and still assure : tho' what thou telPst 
Hath pass'd in Heav'n, some doubt within me move, 
But more desire to hear, if thou consent, 555 

The full relation, which must needs be strange, 
Worthy of sacred silence to be heard ; 
And we have yet large day ; for scarce the Sun 
Hath finish 'd half his journey, and scarce begins 
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n. 560 

Thus Adam made request : and Raphael, 
After short pause, assenting, thus began : 

54S. Nor knew I not, fyc. : The two negatives in this clause give an 
affirmative sense. The meaning, therefore, is : I knew both will and deed 
to be created free ; I knew that our will and actions are free. 

551. Whose command, though single, and, therefore, on that account to be 
obeyed, is yet so just v is besides so just , that it lays a farther obligation upon 
our obedience. — N. 

554. Some doubt : That is, of the constancy of our love to our Maker: a 
higher order of beings have ceased to love him. 

557. Sacred silence: Such as prevailed in offering sacrifices, and perform- 
ing other religious ceremonies. Horace speaks of this, Ode ii. 13 : 29, 30, 
in these terms : 

" Utrumque s-icro digna silenlio 
Mirantur umbra ulcere. " 

562. Prime : First. It is customary with the epic poets to introduce, by 
way of episode and narrative, the principal events which happened before 
the action of the poem commences. And as Homer's Ulysses relates his 
adventures to Alcinous. and as Virgil's ^Eneas recounts the history of the 
siege of Troy, and of his own travels, to Dido ; so the angel relates to 
Adam the fall of the angels and the creation of the world, beginning his 
narrative of the former event much in the same manner as ^Eneas com- 
mences his account of the destruction of Troy, Virg. JEn. ii. 3 : 
'' Infandum, regina,jubes renovare dolorem.'' 



230 PARADISE LOST. 

High matter thou enjoinVt me, prime of men, 
Sad task and hard ; for how shall I relate 
To human sense th' invisible exploits 565 

Of warring Spirits ? How without remorye 
The ruin of so many, glorious once 
And perfect while they stood ? How last unfold 
The secrets of another world, perhaps 

Not lawful to reveal ? yet for thy good 570 

This is dispensed ; and what surmounts the reach 
Of human sense, I shall delineate so, 
By lik'ning spiritual to corp'ral forms, 
As may express them best : though what if Earth 
Be but the shadow of Heav'n, and things therein 575 

Each to other like, more than on earth is thought ? 

As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild 
Reign 'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth now rests 
Upon her centre poised ; when on a day 

(For time, though in eternity, apply'd 580 

To motion, measures all. things durable 
By present, past, and future) on such day 
As Heav'n 's great year brings forth, th' 1 empyreal host 
Of angels by imperial summons call'd, 
Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne 585 

574-76. A very skilful suggestion is here made, that renders plausible the 
bold inventions of the poet, especially in describing the battles of the fallen 
angels. 

583. As Heaven's great year : Plato's great year seems to have been in the 
poet's thoughts : 

" Magnus ab integro scclorum nascitur ordo." 

Virg. Ec. iv. 5. 

The great year of the heavens, according to Plato, was the revolution of 
all the spheres. Everything returns to where it set out, when the motion 
of the spheres first began. This was a fit time for the declaration of the 
. vicegerency of the Son of God. Milton selects a similar period for the 
birth of the angels (861) , imagining such vast revolutions prior to the creation 
of angels and of the world. So far back into eternity did the comprehensive 
mind of the poet carry him. — R. 

583. TW empyreal host, $c. : The hint of this august assembly was, pro- 
bably, derived from Job i. 6 ; 1 Kings xxii. 19. 



BOOK V. 231 

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd 

Under their Hierarchs in order bright : 

Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced. 

Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear 

Stream in the air, and for distinction serve 590 

Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees ; 

Or in their glitt'ring tissues bear emblazed 

Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love 

Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs 

Of circuit inexpressible they stood, 595 

Orb within orb, the Father infinite, 

By whom in bliss itnbosom'd sat the Son, 

Amidst as from a flaming mount, whose top 

Brightness had made invisible, thus spake : 

Hear, all ye Angels, progeny of light, GOO 

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow'rs, 
Hear my decree, which unrevoked shall stand : 
This day I have begot whom 1 declare 
My only Son ; and on this holy hill 

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold 605 

At my right hand ; your Head I him appoint ; 
And by myself have sworn, to him shall bow 
All knees in Heav'n, and shall confess him Lord : 
Under his great vicegerent reign abide 

United as one individual soul, 010 

For ever happy. Him who disobeys, 
Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day 
Cast out from God, and blessed vision, falls, 
Into utter darkness, deep engulph'd, his place 
Ordain'd without redemption, without end. 615 

So spake th' Omnipotent : and with his words 
All seem'd well pleased ; all seem'd, but were not all. 
That day, as other solemn days, they spent 

590. Gonfalons : Colours. 

601. Thrones, fyc. : Names or titles for distinguishing the various orders or 
ranks of angels. 

607. Bow: Isaiah xlv. 23: Phil. ii. 9-11. 



232 PARADISE LOST. 

In song and dance about the sacred hill ; 

Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere 620 

Of planets and of fiVd, in all her wheels 

Resembles nearest, mazes intricate, 

Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular 

Then most, when most irregular they seem ; 

And in their motions harmony divine 625 

So smooths her charming tones, that God's own ear 

Listens delighted. Ev'ning now approach'd 

(For we have also our ev'ning and our morn, 

We ours for change delectable, not need) 

Forthwith from dance to sweet repast they turn 630 

Desirous ; all in circles as they stood, 

Tables are set, and on a sudden piled 

With angels' food, and rubied nectar flows 

In pearl, in diamond, and massy gold, 

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heav'n. 635 

On flow'rs reposed, and with fresh flow'rets crown'd, 

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet 

Quaff immortality and joy, secure 

Of surfeit, where full measure only bounds 

620. Mystical: Complicated. 

622. Mazes : Windings and turnings. Eccentric : Revolving about a dif- 
ferent centre. Intervolved : Involved one within another. 

625. Job xxxviii. 37. There seems in this line to be an allusion to the 
Pythagorean doctrine of the " music of the spheres." Pythagoras was so great 
an enthusiast in music, that he not only assigned to it a conspicuous place in 
his system of education, but even supposed that the heavenly bodies them- 
selves were arranged at distances corresponding to the intervals of the 
diatonic scale, and imagined them to pursue their sublime march to notes 
created by their own harmonious movements, called "the music of the 
spheres;" but he maintained that this celestial concert, though loud and 
grand, is not audible to the feeble organs of man, but only to the gods. — 
Olmsted's Letters on Astronomy. 

633. Rubied : Nectar of the colour of the rubies. Homer's Iliad xix. 38, 

vfi.T to ipvUnov. 

638. Secure of surfeit : Free from danger of excessive indulgence. 
639. Where full measure, Spc. : Full measure is the only thing that limits 
hem. The utmost they are capable of containing is the only bound set to 



book v. 233 

Excess, before th' All-bounteous King, who show'r'd 640 

With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy. 

Now when ambrosial night with clouds exhaled 

From that high mount of God, whence light and shade 

Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had ehang'd 

To grateful twilight (for night comes not there 645 

In darker veil) and roseate dews disposed 

All but th' unsleeping eyes of God to rest : 

Wide over all the plain, and wider far 

Than all this globous earth in plain outspread 

(Such are the courts of God) th' angelic throng, 650 

Dispersed in bands and files, their camp extend 

By living streams among the trees of life, 

Pavilions numberless, and sudden rear'd, 

Celestial tabernacles, where they slept 

Fann'd with cool winds; save those who in their course 655 

Melodious hymns about the sov'reign throne 

Alternate all night long : but not so waked 

Satan ; so call him now, his former name 

Is heard no more in Heav'n ; he of the first, 

If not the first Arch-Angel, great in pow'r, 680 

In favour, and pre-eminence, yet fraught 

With envy 'gainst the Son of God, that day 

Honour'd by his great Father, and proclaim'd 

Messiah King anointed, could not bear 

Through pride that sight, and thought himself impair'd. 665 

them ; they have full measure, but they cannot be too full — they cannot 
overflow : ivithout overflowing, full. 

642. Ambrosial night: Refreshing by the sleep which it affords, as the 

•<i. called ambrosia, was refreshing to the beings using it. Homer's Iliad, 
■-■ "> 7 - 

650. Rev. xxii. 

6")3. Their camp, embracing pavilions or tents, numberless, and suddenly 
seared. 

G-j7. Alternate melodious hymns ; that is, sung by turns. Not so waked : 
Did not so employ his waking powers. 

662. With envy : Here is set forth the origin of the apostasy in heaven. 



234 PARADISE LOST. 

Deep malice thence conceiving, and disdain, 

Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour 

Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolved 

With all his legions to dislodge, and leave 

Unworshipp'd, unobey'd the throne supreme 670 

Contemptuous, and his next subordinate 

Awak'ning, thus to him in secret spake : 

Sleep'st thou, companion dear ? What sleep can close 
Thy eye-lids ? and remember'st what decree 
Of yesterday, so late hath pass'd the lips 675 

Of Heav'n's Almighty ! Thou to me thy thoughts 
Wast wont, I mine to thee was wont to impart ; 
Both waking we were one ; how then can now 
Thy sleep dissent ? New laws thou seest imposed ; 
New laws from him who reigns, new minds may raise 680 

In us who serve, new counsels to debate 
What doubtful may ensue : more in this place 
To utter is not safe. Assemble thou 
Of all those myriads which we lead the chief ; 
Tell them that by command, ere yet dim night 685 

Her shadowy cloud withdraws, I am to haste, 
And all who under me their banners wave, 
Homeward with flying march where we possess 
The quarters of the north ; there to prepare 

671. Beelzebub is here referred to. 

684. The chief: The chief angels ; the chiefs. 

685. He begins his revolt with a lie. John viii. 44. — N. 

689. The quarters of the north : Language drawn from what Isaiah says 
of the king of Babylon, xiv. 12; and from the prophecies of Jeremiah, i. 14 ; 
iv. 6 ; vi. 1. Shakspcare, before Milton, had called Satan the monarch of the 
north. Henry VI. Act v. Bishop Newton informs us that he had seen, a 
Latin poem by Valmarina, printed in 1627, at Vienna, the plan of which, in 
many particulars is very similar to Paradise Lost. It opens with the ex- 
altation of the Son of God, and therefore Lucifer revolts, and draws a third 
part of the angels after him into the quarters of the north. He thinks it 
more probable that Milton had seen this poem than some others from which 
he is charged with borrowing largely, being a universal scholar, reading all 
sorts of books, and taking hints from the moderns as well as the ancients. 
There is also an Italian poem, printed in Venice, in 1590, which, as some 



book v. 235 

Fit entertainment to receive our King 690 

The great Messiah, and his new commands ; 
Who speedily through all the hierarchies 
Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws. 

So spake the false Arch-Angel, and infused 
Bad influence into th' unwary breast 695 

Of his associate : he together calls, 
Or sev'ral one by one, the regent pow'rs, 
Under him regent : tells as he was taught, 
That the Most High commanding, now ere night, 
Now ere dim night had disencumber'd Heav'n, 700 

The great hierarchal standard was to move ; 
Tells the suggested cause, and casts between 
Ambiguous words and jealousies, to sound 
Or taint integrity : but all obey'd 

The wonted signal and superior voice 705 

Of their great potentate ; for great indeed 
His name, and high was his degree in Heav'n ! 
His count'nance, as the morning star that guides 
The starry flock, allured them, and with lies 
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's host. 710 

Mean while th' Eternal Eye, whose sight discerns 

think, Milton may have also seen, and been indebted to. It describes the 
battle of the angels against Lucifer. The poem of Tasso on the Creation, 
has been generally neglected, but seems not to have altogether escaped the 
notice of Milton in preparing Paradise Lost. Todd mentions yet another 
obscure poem, by a different author, printed at Venice, in 1608, and also 
treating upon the subject of the Creation, to which, possibly, Milton had 
access. 

702. Tells the cause that Satan had suggested, namely, to prepare enter- 
tainment for their t:ew king, and to receive his laws, interspersing his re- 
marks with ambiguous words, and words provocative of jealousy in angeli 
minds. 

708-9. Countenance ivith lies, Src. : Satan's countenance, not reveal- 
ing the base intentions he sought to fulfil, allured, and deceived them, as with 
lies. Compare Rev. xii. 3, 4. 

711. Milton frequently takes a liberty, allowable in a poet, of expressing 
only some part or quality of a person, where he means the person himself, 
and goes on to say things, which, properly speaking, are applicable only to the 
person himself. His countenance and th" Eternal eye (711), are employed as 



236 PARADISE LOST 

Abstrusest thoughts, from forth his holy mount, 

And from within the golden lamps that burn 

Nightly before him, saw without their light 

Rebellion rising ; saw in whom, how spread 715 

Among the sons of morn, what multitudes 

Were banded to oppose his high decree; 

And smiling to his only Son, thus said : 

Son, thou in whom my glory I behold 
In full resplendence, Heir of all my might, 720 

Nearly it now concerns us to be sure 
Of our omnipotence, and with what arms 
We mean to hold what anciently we claim 
Of Deity or empire ; such a foe 

Is rising, who iutends to erect his throne 725 

Equal to ours, throughout the spacious north ; 
Nor so content, hath in his thought to try 
In battle what our pow'r is, or our right. 
Let us advise, and to this hazard draw 

With speed what force is left, and all employ 730 

In our defence, lest unawares we lose 
This our high place, our sanctuary, our hill. 

To whom the Son, with calm aspect and clear, 
Lightning divine, ineffable, serene, 

Made answer : Mighty Father, thou thy foes 735 

Justly hast in derision, and secure 

the part for whole, or the person to whom they respectively belong. The 
acts of smiling and speaking (7 1 8) , therefore, are not attributed to the eye 
(711) , but to the Eternal. Compare Ps. ii. 

713. Alluding to the lamps in John's vision, Rev. iv. 5, "And there wore 
seven lamps of fire burning before the throne." 

716. Sons of morn: An epithet describing the angels, as Lucifer is so 
called in Is. xiv. 12. It is supposed that this epithet is given, either on 
account of their early creation, or to express angelic beauty and gladness, 
the morning being the most delightful part of the day. 

719. Compare Heb. i. 2, 3. 

734. Lightning : For light'ning or lightening, a participle, and qualifying 
aspect. It means shedding or diffusing light, and is qualified by the follow- 
ing adjectives used adverbially. 



BOOK V. 237 

Laugh'st at their vain designs and tumults vain, 

Matter to me of glory, whom their hate 

Illustrates, when they see all regal pow'r 

Giv'n me to quell their pride, and in event 740 

Know whether I be dextrous to subdue 

Thy rebels, or be found the worst in Heav'n. 

So spake the Son ; but Satan with his pow'rs 
Far was advanced on winged speed, an host 
Innumerable as the stars of night, 
Or stars of morning, dew-drops, which the Sun 
Impearls on ev'ry leaf and ev'ry flow'r. 
Regions they pass'd, the mighty regencies 
Of Seraphim, and Potentates, and Thrones, 
In their triple degrees ; regions to which 750 

All thy dominion, Adam, is no more 
Than what this garden is to all the earth, 
And all the sea, from one entire globose 
Stretch'd into longitude ; which having pass'd, 
At length into the limits of the north 755 

739. Illustrates : Brings into clearer notice. 
742. Worst: Weakest. 

746. Stars of morning : Casimer calls the dews " stellul e noctis deceden- 
tis." The sun impearls the drops of dew ; that is, gives them the appear- 
ance of pearls. V. 2. 

747. Impearls : Du Bartas, in the translation, thus writes : 

" the flowery meads 

Impearl'd with tears, which sweet Aurora sheds." 

T. 

750. Triple degrees : An idea borrowed from Tasso and the schoolmen. 

753. Globose: Globe. 

754. Longitude : Length. Which : Which regions. 

755. At length into the limits, fyc : The revolt in Heaven is described with 
great force of imagination, and a fine variety of circumstances. The learned 
reader cannot but be pleased with the poet's imitation of Homer, in 762. 
Homer mentions persons and things, which, he tells us, in the language of 
the gods are called by different names from those they go by in the language 
of men. Milton has imitated him with his usual judgment in this par- 
ticular place, wherein he has, likewise, the authority of Scripture to justify 
him. — A. 



238 PARADISE LOST. 

They came, and Satan to his royal seat 

High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount 

Raised on a mount, with pyramids and tow'rs 

From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold ; 

The palace of great Lucifer (so call 760 

That structure in the dialect of men 

Interpreted) which not long after, he 

Affecting all equality with God, 

In imitation of that mount whereon 

Messiah was declared in sight of Heav'n, 765 

The Mountain of the Congregation call'd ; 

For thither he assembled all his train. 

Pretending so commanded to consult 

About the great reception of their King, 

Thither to come, and with calumnious art 770 

Of counterfeited truth, thus held their ears : 

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtue-;, Pow'rs, 
If these magnific titles yet remain 
Not merely titular, since by decree 

Another now hath to himself ingross'd 775 

All pow'r, and us eclipsed under the name 
Of King Anointed, for whom all this haste 
Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here, 
This only to consult, how we may best, 

With what may be devised of honours new, 780 

Receive him coming to receive from us 
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile, 
Too much to one, but double how endured, 
To one and to his image now proclaim 'd ? 

But what if better counsels might erect 785 

Our minds, and teach us to cast off this yoke ? 
Will ye submit your necks, and choose to bend 
The supple knee ? Ye will not, if I trust 
To know ye right ; or if ye know yourselves 

766. Alluding to Is. xiv. 13. 

772. Virtues : An order of angels. See 837. 

784-85. To one : The Father. His imaee : The Son of God. 



book v. 239 

Natives and sons of Heav'n possess'd before 790 

By none, and if not equal all, yet free, 

Equally free ; for orders and degrees 

Jar not with liberty, but well consist. 

Who can in reason then or right assume 

Monarchy over such as live by right 795 

His equals, if in pow'r and splendour less, 

In freedom equal ? or can introduce 

Law and edict on us, who without law 

Err not ? much less for this to be our Lord, 

And look for adoration, to th' abuse 800 

Of those imperial titles which assert 

Our being ordain'd to govern, not to serve. 
Thus far his bold discourse without control 

Had audience, when among the Seraphim 

Abdiel, than whom none with more zeal adored 805 

The Deity, and divine commands obey'd, 

Stood up, and in a flame of zeal severe, 

The current of his fury thus opposed : 

argument, blasphemous, false, and proud ! 

Words which no ear ever to hear in Heav'n S10 

Expected, least of all from thee, Ingrate, 

In place thjself so high above thy peers. 

Canst thou with impious obloquy condemn 

The just decree of G-od, pronounced and sworn, 

790. Possessed refers to Heaven. The meaning is: No one possessed 
Heaven before them ; they are a sort of Aborigines. This idea is more 
fully expressed in 859. 

792. Jar: Disagree. The metaphor is drawn from discords in music. 

799. Much less, fyc. : The construction is difficult, but may thus be under- 
stood : Much less (in reason or right) can he introduce law and edict on us 
for this purpose, namely, to be our Lord. 

800. To the abuse, §c. : It means, and thus abuse those titles by which 
Satan addressed his associates, 772-74. The above argument is answered by 
Abdiel, 831. 

803. Bold discourse : Satan had impiously assumed an equality with God ; 
and on this ground had refused him the homage of obedience. 

809. Blasphemous : It will be noticed that the second syllable must be 
pronounced long, or receive the stress of voice. 



240 PARADISE LOST. 

That to his only Son, by right endued 815 

With regal sceptre, ev'ry soul in Heav'n 

Shall bend the knee, and in that honour due 

Confess him rightful King ? Unjust, thou say'st, 

Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free, 

And equal over equals to let reign, S20 

One over all with unsucceeded pow'r. 

Shalt thou give law to God ? Shalt thou dispute 

With him the points of liberty, who made 

Thee what thou art, and form'd the pow'rs of Heav'n 

Such as he pleased, and circumscribed their being ? 825 

Yet, by experience taught, we know how good, 

And of our good and of our dignity 

How provident he is, how far from thought 

To make us less, bent rather to exalt 

Our happy state under on 3 head more near 830 

United. But to grant it thee unjust, 

That equal over equals monarch reign : 

Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count, 

Or all angelic nature join'd in one, 

Equal to him begotten Son ? by whom 835 

As by his Word the mighty Father made 

All things, ev'n thee ; and all the Spirits of Heav'n 

By him created in their bright degrees, 

Crown'd them with glory, and to their glory named 

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow'rs, 840 

Essential Pow'rs ; nor by his reign obscured, 

But more illustrious made ; since he the Head 

One of our number thus reduced becomes ; 

His laws our laws ; all honour to him done 

821. With unsucceeded power : Power which admits of no successor — per 
petual. 

824. Points of liberty : Questions relating to liberty. 

836-37. John i. 3 ; Coloss. i. 15-18; Heb. i. 2. 

840. This line is a translation of one in the frontispiece of Hey wood's 
Hierarchy of Angels : 

" Throni, Dominationes, Principatus, Virtutes, Potestates.'' 

843. Reduced : In the sense of constituted. 



BOOK V. 24i 

Returns our own. Cease then this impious rage, 845 

And tempt not these ; but hasten to appease 
Th' incensad Father, and th' incensed Son, 
While pardon may be found, in time besought. 

So spake the fervent Angel ; but his zeal 
None seconded, as out of season judged, 850 

Or singular and rash, whereat rejoiced 
Th' Apostate, and more haughty thus replied : 

That we were form'd then, say'st thou? and the work 
Of secondary hands, by task transferr'd 

From Father to his Son ? Strange point, and new ! 855 

Doctrine which we would know whence learn 'd : who saw 
When this creation was ? Remember'st thou 
Thy making, while the Maker gave thee being ? 
We know no time when we were not as now ; 
Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised 860 

By our own quick'ning pow'r, when fatal course 
Had circled his full orb, the birth mature 
Of this our native Heav'n, ethereal sons. 
Our puissance is our own ; our own right hand 
Shall teach us highest deeds, by proof to try 865 

Who is our equal : then thou shalt behold 

853. The opinion that the angels were not created, but self-existent, is 
here advanced, or alluded to by Satan. In Book IX. 145, he proposes the 
opinion as a matter of question. 

855. Point : Assertion. 

861. Fatal course : Destiny. An allusion seems here to be made to ancient 
philosophy, according to which Destiny (or Fate) was a secret and invisible 
power or virtue, which, with incomprehensible wisdom regulated all the 
occurrences of this world, which to human eyes appear irregular and fortui- 
tous. The Stoics, however, understood by Destiny a certain concatenation of 
things, which, from all eternity, follow each other of absolute necessity 
there being no power able to interrupt their connection. To this invisible 
power even the gods were compelled to succumb. — Brande. 

We may observe that our author makes Satan a fatalist. We angels 
(says he) were self-begot, self-raised, by our own quick'ning power ivhen the 
course of fate had completed its full round and period : then we were the birth 
mature — the production, in due season, of this our native Heaven. No com- 
pliment to fatalism to put it into the mouth of the devil. — N. 

863- Puissance : Power. 

P 



242 PARADISE LOST. 

Whether by supplication we intend 

Address, and to begirt th' almighty throne 

Beseeching or besieging. This report, 

These tidings, carry to th' Anointed King ; 870 

And fly, ere evil intercept thy flight. 

He said, and as the sound of waters deep 
Hoarse murmur echo'd to his words applause 
Through the infinite host ; nor less for that 
The flaming Seraph fearless, though alone 875 

Encompass'd round with foes, thus answer 'd bold : 

alienate from God, Spirit accursed, 
Forsaken of all good ! I see thy fall 
Determined, and thy hapless crew involved 
In this perfidious fraud, contagion spread 880 

Both of thy crime and punishment : henceforth 
No more be troubled how to quit the yoke 
Of God's Messiah : those indulgent laws 
Will not be now vouchsafed ; other decrees 
Against thee are gone forth without recall ; 885 

That golden sceptre, which thou didst reject, 
Is now an iron rod, to bruise and break 
Thy disobedience. Well thou didst advise, 
Yet not for thy advice or threats I fly 

These wicked tents devoted, lest the wrath 890 

Impendent, raging into sudden flame, 
Distinguish not ; for soon expect to feel 
His thunder on thy head, devouring fire ; 
Then who created thee lamenting learn, 
When who can uucreate thee thou shalt know. 895 

So spake the Seraph Abdiel, faithful found 

869. Beseeching or besieging : Addison objects to this, and other examples 
of alliteration, as wanting in dignity ; yet, in this instance it seems so 
natural and unstudied, that we cannot reasonably object to it. 

872. Rev. xix. 6. 

879. Crew : A term that well expresses their miserable and guilty state. 

887. Ps. ii. 9. 

890. Lest : Before this supply the words, " but I fly." 

896. The Seraph Abdiel: The part of Abdiel, who was the only spirit in 



book v. 243 

Among the faithless, faithful only he ; 

Among innumerable false, unmoved, 

Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified, 

His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal ; 900 

Nor numbers, nor example, with him wrought 

To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind, 

Though single. From amidst them forth he pass'd, 

Long way through hostile scorn, which he sustain'd 

Superior, nor of violence fear'd aught ; 905 

And with retorted scorn his back he turn'd 

On those proud tow'rs to swift destruction doom'd. 

this infinite host of angels that preserved his allegiance to his Maker, ex- 
hibits to us a noble model of religious singularity. The zeal of the Seraph 
breaks forth in a becoming warmth of sentiments and expressions, as the 
character which is given us of him denotes the generous scorn and intre- 
pidity which attends heroic virtue. The author, doubtless, designed it as a 
pattern to those who live among mankind in their present state of degene- 
racy and corruption. — A. 



MILTON'S PORTRAIT OF THE ANGELS AND DEVILS. 
Milton's management of his angels and devils proves, as much as anything 
in the poem, the versatility of his genius, the delicacy of his discrimination 
of character, that Shakspearian quality in him which has been so much over- 
looked. To break up the general angel or devil element into so many finely- 
individualized forms ; to fit the language to the character of each; to do this 
in spite of the dignified and somewhat unwieldy character of his style ; to 
avoid insipidity of excellence in his seraphs, and inspidity of horror in his 
fiends ; to keep them erect and undwindled, whether in the presence of Satan 
on the one side, or of Messiah on the other, — was a problem requiring skill 
as well as daring, dramatic as well as epic powers. No mere mannerist could 
have succeeded in it. Yet, what vivid portraits has he drawn of Michael, 
Raphael (how like, in their difference from each other, as well as in their 
names, to the two great Italian painters !) , Abdiel, Uriel, Beelzebub, Moloch, 
Belial, Mammon — all perfectly distinct ; all speaking a leviathan language, 
which, in all, however, is modified by the character of each, and in none sinks 
into mannerism. If Milton had not been the greatest of epic poets, he might 
have been the second of dramatists. Macaulay has admirably shown how, 
or rather that Shakspeare has preserved the distinction between similar char- 
acters, such as Hotspur and Falconbridge ; and conceded even t©, Madame 
D'Arblay a portion of the same power, in depicting several individuals, all 
young, all clever, all clergymen, all in love, and yet all unlike each other. 
But Milton has performed a much more difficult achievement. He has re* 



244 PARADISE LOST. 

presented five devils, all fallen, all eloquent, all in torment, hate, and hell, 
and yet all so distinct that you could with difficulty interchange a line of the 
utterances of each. None but Satan, the incarnation of egotism, could have 
said — 

'• What matter where, if I be still the same ?'• 
None but Moloch — the rash and desperate — could thus abruptly have broken 
silence — 

;i My sentence is for open war." 
None but Belial — the subtile, far-revolving fiend — could have spoken of 

" Those thoughts that wander through eternity." 
None but Mammon — the down-looking demon — would ever, alluding to the 
subterranean riches of Hell, have asked the question — 

'• What can Heaven show more ?" 
Or, who but Beelzebub, the Metternich of Pandemonium, would have com- 
menced his oration with such grave, terrific irony as — 

'• Thrones, and imperial powers, offspring of Heaven, 

Etheroal virtues, or these titles now v 

Must wo renounce, and changing style, be called 
I'rince» <f Hell?" 

GlLFILLAN. 



BOOK VI. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Raphael continues to relate how Michael and Gabriel were sent forth to 
battle against Satan and his Angels. The first fight described ; Satan and 
his Powers retire under night ; he calls a council, invents devilish engines, 
which, in the second day's fight, put Michael and his angels to some disorder ; 
but they at length, pulling up mountains, overwhelmed both the force and 
machines of Satan. Yet the tumult not so ending, God on the third day sends 
Messiah his Son, for whom he had reserved the glory of that victory ; He, 
in the power of his Father, coming to the place, and causing his legions to 
stand still on either side, with his chariot and thunder driving into the midst 
of his enemies, pursues them, unable to resist, towards the wall of Heaven ; 
which opening, they leap down with horror and confusion into the place of 
punishment prepared for them in the deep ; Messiah returns with triumph to 
his Father. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

The battle of the rebellious angels is the grand feature of this Book, and is 
generally regarded as one of the most admirable parts of the poem. I will 
frankly confess that I cannot entirely subscribe to this opinion. In the first 
place, the introduction of the invention of artillery into the combat is objec- 
tionable : in the war of spirits it is degrading, and almost ludicrous. In the 
whole mode of carrying on this mighty effort against Heaven, there is too 
much of earth and materialism. It will be answered, that this was of ne- 
cessity ; for how was a war of spirits to be expressed ? Perhaps such a dif- 
ficulty was insurmountable ; but then the subject should have been covered 
with a mantle ; at least the elements might have been made to contend — a 
universal tempest of fire, wind, and water. Here everything is conducted 
almost in the ordinary manner, and with the technical skill of human war- 
fare, except that the degree of force is more gigantic. 

It will be pleaded that Milton had the authority of the language of Holy 
Writ for such descriptions, and that he generally speaks in the very words of 
the Bible. It is true that he adapts these words with astonishing skill and 
genius ; but he contrives to go into details which break up the spell of their 
mysteries. The phraseology of these sacred writings referred to is astonish- 
ingly sublime, picturesque, and poetical : if Milton could have stopped ex- 
actly where that stopped, he would have done better. This is a bold censure, 
but it is sincere. I think that the poet was led into this by his rivalry of 
Homer and Virgil, and the other ancient classics. He had a great advantage 
over them in his subject, and he should not have fallen from it. There is no 
poetry in Homer or Virgil like the poetry of the Bible. 

The condensed collocation of Milton's language is peculiar to himself. Its 
breaks — its bursts — the strong — the rough and the flowing — the concise and 
the gigantic — are mingled with a surprising skill, and eloquence, and magic. 
It is easy to find single gems in other authors; the galaxy is the wonder. 
Milton's splendour, when it began to rise, did not stop till it blazed. 

Even supposing his Book of Battles to be liable to the censure I have haz- 
arded, still the manner in which it augments its force as it goes onward, is 
miraculous. The character of Satan, combining the height of wickedness 
with grandeur of power and will, is supported in a state of progressive eleva- 
tion ; while the Deity, Father and Son, still retains his supremacy, and to 
whatever sublimity the rebel angel is lifted, soars in unapproached dominion 
above him. All this is displayed with marvellous splendour of genius in the 
close of the Sixth Book. The effects of Satan's defeat are conceived and de- 
scribed with a superhuman strength of imagination. — E. B. 



BOOK VI. 



All night the dreadless Angel, unpursued, 

Through Heav'n's wide champain held his way, till morn, 

Waked by the circling hours, with rosy hand 

Unbarr'd the gates of light. There is a cave 

Within the mount of God, fast by his throne, 5 

Where light and darkness in perpetual round 

1. Angel: Abdiel. 2. Champain: Open plain. 

3. Circling hours : In mythology these divinities are regarded in two points 
of view — as the goddesses of the seasons, and hours of the day ; and their 
number is stated in different ways accordingly. Their duty was to hold the 
gates of Heaven, which they opened to send forth the chariot of the sun in 
the morning, and receive it again in the evening. No classical poet has de- 
scribed them with greater beauty than Shelley, in a celebrated passage of his 
Prometheus Unbound. These goddesses are often depicted as forming the train 
of Venus. — Brande. 

See also note, Book V. 2. 

5. Mount of God, fyc. : In his description of Heaven, Milton finds ample 
field for the serious as well as the sportive exercise of his unbounded imagi- 
nation. He gives us the conception of a region immeasurably large. Many 
earths are massed together to form one continent surrounding the throne ol 
God ; a continent, not of cloud or aery light, but of fixed, solid land, with 
steadfast, towering mountains, and soft slumbrous vales ; to which Pollok, in 
his copy of it, has added, finely, wastes and wildernesses — retreats even there 
lor solitary meditation. Afar, like a cloud, rises the centre and pinnacle of 
the region, the throne of Jehovah, now bathed in light, and now shaded by 
profound darkness. — Gilfillan. 

6. Where light and darkness, £c. : The making darkness a positive thing is 



248 



PARADISE LOST. 



Lodge and dislodge by turns, which makes through Heav'n 

Grateful vicissitude, like day and night ; 

Light issues forth, and at the other door 

Obsequious darkness enters, till her hour 10 

To veil the Heav'n, though darkness there might well 

Seem twilight here : and now went forth the morn 

Such as in highest Heav'n, array'd in gold 

Empyreal ; from before her vanish 'd night, 

Shot through with orient beams ; when all the plain, 15 

Cover'd with thick embattled squadrons bright, 

Chariots and flaming arms, and fiery steeds, 

Reflecting blaze on blaze, first met his view. 

War he perceived, war in procinct, and found 

Already known what he for news had thought 20 

To have reported. Gladly then he mix'd 

Among those friendly Pow'rs, who him received 

With joy and acclamations loud, that one, 

That of so many myriads fall'n, yet one 

Return 'd not lost. On to the sacred hill 25 

They led him, high applauded, and present 

Before the seat supreme ; from whence a voice 

From midst a golden cloud thus mild was heard: 

Servant of God, well done ! well hast thou fought 
The better fight, who singly hast maintain'd 30 

Against revolted multitudes the cause 
Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms ; 
And for the testimony of truth hast borne 



poetical : but besides that, as he thought fit to bring it into Heaven, it could 
ot be otherwise represented, for obvious reasons. — Warburton. 

The Thought of light and darkness lodging and dislodging by turns, the one 
ssuing forth and the other entering, is plainly borrowed from a fine passage 
in Hesiod. Theog. 748. 

IS. See Book of Maccabees vi. 39. 

19. Procinct: Complete preparation for action. Allusion is made to the 
girdle which was put on, and drawn closely around the person of the soldier, 
before engaging in battle. 

29. Abdiel in Hebrew means servant of God. Rev. xii. 7, 8. — S. 



book vi. 249 

Universal reproach (far worse to bear 

Than violence) ; for this was all thy care 35 

To stand approved in sight of God, though worlds 

Judged thee perverse : the easier conquest now 

Remains thee, aided by this host of friends, 

Back on thy foes more glorious to return 

Than scorn 'd thou didst depart, and to subdue 40 

By force, who reason for their law refuse, 

Bight reason for their law, and for their king 

Messiah, who by right of merit reigns. 

Go, Michael, of celestial armies prince, 

And thou in military prowess next, 45 

Gabriel, lead forth to battle these my sons 

Invincible, lead forth my armed Saints, 

By thousands and by millions ranged for fight, 

Equal in number to that Godless crew 

Bebellious ; them with fire and hostile arms 50 

Fearless assault, and to the brow of Heav'n 

Pursuing, drive them out from God and bliss 

Into their place of punishment, the gulf 

Of Tartarus, which ready opens wide 

His fiery Chaos to receive their fall. 55 

34. Universal reproach : Another example of this inharmonious measure is 
found in 874 : it is not common, but, as Jortin observes, Milton often inserts 
harsh verses, when he could easily have altered them, judging, probably, 
that they had the same good effect in poetry which occasional discords pro- 
duce in music. 

44. Go Michael, <$r. : As this battle of the angels is founded principally 
on Rev. xii. 7, 8 — " There teas war in Heaven; Michael and his angels fought 
against the Dragon, and the Dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not, 
neither was their place found any more in Heaven" — Michael is rightly made 
by Milton the leader of the heavenly armies, and the name in Hebrew sig- 
nifies the power of God. But it may be censured, perhaps, as a piece of bad 
conduct in the poem, that the commission here given is not executed. They 
are ordered to drive the rebel angels out from God and Miss, but this is 
effected at last by the Messiah alone. Some reasons for it are assigned in 
the speech of God (680) , and in that of the Messiah (801) .— N. 

55. His fiery Chaos : Chaos may mean any place of confusion ; but, if we 
take it strictly, Tartarus, or Hell, was built in Chaos (II. 1002), and the're- 
11* 



250 PARADISE LOST. 

So spake the sov'reign voice, and clouds began 
To darken all the hill, and smoke to roll 
In dusky wreaths, reluctant flames, the sign 
Of wrath awaked ; nor with less dread the loud 
Ethereal trumpet from on high 'gan blow : 60 

At which command the powers militant 
That stood for Heav'n, in mighty quadrate join'd 
Of union irresistible, moved on 
In silence their bright legions, to the sound 
Of instrumental harmony, that breath M 65 

Heroic ardour to advent'rous deeds 
Under their God-like leaders, in the cause 
Of God and his Messiah. On they move 
Indissolubly firm : nor obvious hill, 

Nor strait'ning vale, nor wood, nor stream divides 70 

Their perfect ranks ; for high above the ground 
Their march was, and the passive air upbore 
Their nimble tread. As when the total kind 
Of birds, in orderly array on wing, 

Came summon'd over Eden, to receive 75 

Their names of thee ; so over many a tract 
Of Heav'n they march'd, and many a province wide 

fore that part of it, being stored with fire, may not improperly be called a 
fiery Chaos. — N. His is a Hebraistic expression for its. 
56. Compare Exod. xix. 16, &c. 

58. Reluctant: As if to arouse to the work of destruction ; but Dunster un- 
derstands this word in the sense of the most violent exertion of the fire to 
resist and break through the smoke. 

59. Dread: Terribleness. 
62. Quadrate: Square. 

69. Obvious : Opposing them in front ; lying in their way. t 

70. Strait'ning : Narrowing. 

71. Our author attributes the same kind of motion to the angels, as the 
ancients did to their gods, which was gliding through the air without ever 
touching the ground with their feet; or as Milton (VIII. 302) elegantly ex- 
presses it, smooth sliding without step. 

73. Total kind, or race : The phrase is expressive of a great number of 
birds. 



BOOK VI. 251 

Tenfold the length of this terrene. At last, 

Far in th' horizon to the north appear'd 

From skirt to skirt a fiery region, stretch'd 80 

In battalious aspect, and nearer view 

Bristled with upright beams innumerable 

Of rigid spears, and helmets throng'd, and shields 

Various, with boastful argument portray'd 

The banded Pow'rs of Satan hasting on 85 

With furious expedition ; for they ween'd 

That self-same day by fight, or by surprise, 

To win the mount of God, and on this throne 

To set the envier of his state, the proud 

Aspirer, but their thoughts proved fond and vain 90 

In the mid-way ; though strange to us it seem'd 

At first, that Angel should with Angel war, 

And in fierce hosting meet, who wont to meet 

So oft in festivals of joy and love 

Unanimous, as sons of one great sire 95 

Hymning th' Eternal Father ; but the shout 

Of battle now began, and rushing sound 

Of onset ended soon each milder thought. 

High in the midst exalted as a God, 

Th' Apostate in his sun-bright chariot sat, 100 

Idol of maj jsty divine, inclosed 

78. Terrene: Earthly. 

79-83. It appeared a fiery region, indistinctly at first, but, upon nearer 
view, it proved to be Satan's rebel army. — N. 

80. Skirt: Margin. 

81. In battalious aspect : In appearance as an army marshalled for battle. 
84. Various, with boastful argument portray' d : Shields various, are shieli 3 

varied with diverse sculptures and paintings ; an elegant Latinism. This 
line seems to be taken from the Phanissae of Euripides (1117) . — N. 

93. Hosting : A word coined by Milton from host, and means encounter. 

101. Idol of majesty divine : In line 114, Satan is called resemblance of the 
Highest; but how judiciously has Milton culled out the word idol, which, 
though it be in its original signification the same as resemblance, yet, by its 
common application, always in a bad sense, served much better to express 
the present character of Satan. — T. 



252 PARADISE LOST. 

With flaming Cherubim and golden shields ; 

Then lighted from his gorgeous throne, for now 

'Twixt host and host but narrow space was left 

(A dreadful interval), and front to front 105 

Presented, stood in terrible array, 

Of hideous length. Before the cloudy van, 

On the rough edge of battle ere it join'd, 

Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced, 

Came tow'ring, arm'd in adamant and gold : 110 

Abdiel that sight endured not, where he stood 

Among the mightiest, bent on highest deeds, 

And thus his own undaunted heart explores : 

O Heav^ ! that such resemblance of the High'st 
Should yet remain, where faith and realty 115 

Remain not ! wherefore should not strength and might 
There fail where virtue fails, or weakest prove 
Where boldest, though to sight unconquerable ? 

106. Stood in terrible array, $c. : It required great pregnancy of invention, 
and strength of imagination, to fill the battle with such circumstances as 
should raise and astonish the mind of the reader; and, at the same time, an 
exactness of judgment to avoid everything that might appear light or trivial. 
Those who look into Homer are surprised to find his battles still rising one 
above another, and improving in horror to the conclusion of the Iliad. Mil- 
ton's fight of angels is wrought up with the same beauty. It is ushered in 
with such signs of wrath as are suitable to Omnipotence incensed. 

The first engagement is carried on under a cope of fire, occasioned by the 
flight of innumerable burning darts and arrows, which are discharged from 
each host. The second onset is still more terrible, as it is filled with those 
artificial thunders which seem to make the victory doubtful, and produce a 
kind of consternation even in the good angels. This is followed by the lear- 
i«g up of mountains and promontories ; till, in the last place, Messiah comes 
lor:a in the fulness of majesty and terror. The pomp of his appearance, 
amidst the roarings of his thunders, the flashes of his lightnings, and the 
noise of his chariot-wheels, is described with the utmost flights of human 
imagination. — A. 

108. Edge: See I. 276. 

113. Such soliloquies are not uncommon in the poets, at the beginning and 
even in the midst of battles. They are instances merely of persons thinking 
aloud. 

115. Realty: Loyalty. 118. To sight : Apparently. 



book vi. 253 

His puissance, trusting in th' Almighty's aid, 

I mean to try, whose reason I have try'd 120 

Unsound and false ; nor is it aught but just 

That he who in debate of truth hath won 

Should win iu arms, in both disputes alike 

Victor ; though brutish that contest and foul, 

When reason hath to deal with force, yet so 125 

Most reason is that reason overcome. 

So pondering, and from his armed peers 
Forth stepping opposite, half-way he met 
His daring foe, at this prevention more 
Incensed ; and thus securely him defy'd : 130 

Proud, art thou met ? Thy hope was to have reach'd 
The height of thy aspiring unopposed, 
The throne of God unguarded, and his side 
Abandon'd at the terror of thy pow'r 

Or potent tongue : fool ! not to think how vain 135 

Against th' Omnipotent to rise in arms ! 
Who out of smallest things could without end 
Have raised incessant armies to defeat 
Thy folly ! or with solitary hand 

Reaching beyond all limit, at one blow, 140 

Unaided, could have finish'd thee, and whelm'd 
Thy legions under darkness ! but thou seest 
All are not of thy train : there be who faith 
Prefer, and piety to God, though then 

To thee not visible, when I alone 145 

Seem'd in thy world erroneous to dissent 
From all ; my sect thou seest ; now learn, too late, 
How few sometimes may know, when thousands err 

12.T-26. Reason : These lines contain a fine play upon this word. 
129. Prevention : Coming forward. 
139. Solitary: Single. 

147. Sect : Division — that part of the angels that had not rebelled against 
the King of Heaven. 

148. That is — how sometimes a few may discern rightly, when thousands 
err. The good angel said few. though one, and that himself, was particu- 



254 PARADISE LOST. 

Whom the grand foe, with scornful eye askance, 
Thus answer'd : 111 for thee, but in wish'd hour 150 

Of my revenge, first sought for thou return'st 
From flight, seditious Angel, to receive 
Thy merited reward, the first assay 
Of this right hand provoked, since first that tongue, 
Inspired with contradiction, durst oppose 155 

A third part of the Gods, in synod met 
Their deities to assert, who while they feel 
Vigour divine within them, can allow 
Omnipotence to none. But well thou com'st 
Before thy fellows, ambitious to win 160 

From me some plume, that thy success may shew 
Destruction to the rest. This pause between 
(Unanswer'd lest thou boast) to let thee know ; 
At first I thought that Liberty and Heav'n 
To heav'nly souls had been all one ; but now 165 

I see that most through sloth had rather serve, 
Minist'ring Spirits, train'd up in feast and song : 
Such hast thou arm'd, the minstrelsy of Heav'n, 
Servility with freedom to contend, 
As both their deeds compared this day shall prove. 170 

To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern reply'd : 
Apostate, still thou err'st, nor end wilt find 
Of erring, from the path of truth remote. 
Unjustly thou deprav'st it with the name 

Of Servitude to serve whom God ordains, 175 

Or Nature ; God and Nature bid the same, 
When he who rules is worthiest, and excels 

larly intended, thus showing his modesty. It is supposed that Milton, in 
this passage, sneers at the loyalists of his time, when they were the many, 
and who reproached the opposite, or republican party, as sectaries. 

1G1-62. Shew destruction, fyc. : Lead the other to destruction. The word 
success may signify bad or good fortune : here the former. 

174. Depravest : Dost vilify. 

175. Servitude: Abdiel makes an excellent distinction between servitude 
and liberty. 



book vi. 255 

Them whom he governs. This is servitude, 
To serve th' unwise, or him who hath rebell'd 
Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, ISO 

Thyself not free, but' to thyself enthrall'd ; 
Tet lewdly dar'st our minist'ring upbraid. 
Reign thou in Hell, thy kingdom ; let me serve 
In Heav'n God ever blest, and his divine 
Behests obey, worthiest to be obey'd ; 185 

Yet chains in Hell, not realms expect : meanwhile 
From me return'd, as erst thou saidst, from flight, 
This greeting on thy impious crest receive. 
So say'ng, a noble stroke he lifted high, 
Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell 190 

On the proud crest of Satan, that no sight, 
Nor motion of swift thought, less could his shield, 
Such ruin intercept. Ten paces huge 
He back recoil'd ; the tenth on bended knee 
His massy spear upstay'd, as if on earth 195 

"Winds under ground, or waters forcing way 
Sidelong, had push'd a mountain from his seat, 
Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized 
The rebel Thrones, but greater rage, to see 
Thus foil'd their mightiest ; ours joy fill'd and shout, 200 

Presage of victory and fierce desire 
Of battle ; whereat Michael bid sound 
Th' Arch- Angel trumpet : through the vast of Heav'n 
It sounded, and the faithful armies rung 

Hosannah to the Highest : nor stood at gaze 205 

The adverse legions, nor less hideous join'd 
The horrid shock. Now storming fury rose, 
And clamour such as heard in Heav'n till now 



187. Erst: Before. 

183. In Hell thy kingdom : It was to be so ; the event was certain, as God 
had ordered him to be thrust from Heaven into Hell (52) . 

189. While yet speaking he raised his arm, and with amazing swiftness 
and power inflicted a stunning blow on the crest of Satan. 

195. Jls if, $c. : A perfectly magnificent simile is here introduced. 



256 PARADISE LOST. 

Was never ; arms on armour clashing bray'd 

Horrible discoid, and the madding wheels 210 

Of brazen chariots raged ; dire was the noise 

Of conflict ; over head the dismal hiss 

Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew, 

And flying vaulted either host with fire. 

So under fiery cope together rush'd 215 

Both battles main, with ruinous assault 

And inextinguishable rage. All Heav'n 

Resounded ; and had Earth been then, all Earth 

Had to her centre shook. What wonder ? when 

Millions of fierce encountVing Augels fought 220 

On either side, the least of whom could wield 

209-14. Brayed, fyc. : The words brayed horrible discord, brazen, raged, 
dire, hiss, and others, are, in their sound, admiiably descriptive of the sense. 

Here, with great advantage, may be introduced some admirable remarks 
of Dr. Channing on the poetic diction of Milton. He says : 

" Milton's numbers have the prime charm ot expressiveness. They vary 
with, and answer to, the depth, or tenderness, or sublimity of his concep- 
tions, and hold intimate alliance with the soul. Like Michael Angelo, in 
whose hands the marble was said to be flexible, he bends our language — 
which foreigners reproach with hardness — into whatever form the subject 
demands. All the treasures of sweet and solemn sound are at his com- 
mand. This power over language is not to be ascribed to Milton's musical 
ear. It belongs to the soul. It is a gift or exercise of genius which has 
power to impress itself on whatever it touches ; and finds, or frames, in 
sounds, motions, and material forms, correspondences and harmonies with its 
own fervid thoughts and feelings. 

210. Madding wheels : What strong and daring figures are here ! Every- 
thing is alive and animated. The very chariot- wheels are mad and raging. 
And how rough and jarring are the verses ! The word bray usually signi- 
fies any disagreeable noise. — N. 

212-14. Bentley objects to some of the language here used, and would 
correct it thus : with dismal hiss the fiery darts, &c. Milton's language is, 
indeed, quite inaccurate ; but, as Dr. Pearce observes, there is a peculiar 
force sometimes in ascribing that to a circumstance of the thing, which more 
properly belongs to the thing itself: to the hiss, which belongs to the darts 
Or, the phrase hiss of darts, is equivalent to hissing darts. 

214. Vaulted: Covered with a roof. 

216. Battles main : Armies mighty. 



book vi. 257 

These elements, and arm him with the force 

Of all their regions : how much more of pow'r 

Army 'gainst army numberless, to raise 

Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb, 225 

Though not destroy, their happy native seat ; 

Had not th' Eternal King omnipotent 

From his strong hold of Heav'n high over-ruled 

And limited their might ; though number 'd sucl 

As each divided legion might have seem'd "230 

A num'rous host, in strength each armed hand 

A legion, led in fight yet leader seem'd 

Each warrior single as in chief, expert 

When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway 

Of battle, open when, and when to close 235 

The ridges of grim war : no thought of flight, 

None of retreat, no unbecoming deed 

That argued fear : each on himself rely'd, 

As only in his arm the moment lay 

222. Elements : The old chemists erroneously applied this term to fire, 
water, earth, and air. The elements of the alchemists are salt, sulphur, and 
mercury. The term element is now used as synonymous with simple, or un- 
decom pounded body; that is, a substance which we cannot resolve into sim- 
pler forms of matter. The number of such, at present, is fifty-four. The 
term, as here used by Milton, probably means the various substances of 
which the universe is composed. 

229. Though number'd, <$-c. : Each legion was in number like an army; 
each single warrior was in strength like a legion; and though led in fight 
was as expert as a commander-in-chief. So that the angels are celebrated, 
first, for their number, then for their strength, and lastly for their expertness 
in war. — N. 

230. As each : That each. 

233. In chief: In the place of chief. 

236. The ridges of grim war : A metaphor taken from a ploughed field : 
the men answer to the ridges, between whom the intervals of the ranks, 
the furrows, are. The ridges of grim, fierce, frightful-looking, war ; that is, 
the ranks of the army, the files are implied. The ranks are the rows of 
soldiers from Hank to (lank, from side to side, from the left to the right : the 
files are from front to rear. — R. 

239. As only, fyc. : As if upon his single arm had depended the whole 
weight of the victory. The moment : The weight that turns the balance, as 

Q 



258 PARADISE LOST. 

Of victory : deeds of eternal fame 240 

Were done, but infinite ; for wide was spread 
That war, and various ; sometimes on firm ground 
A standing fight, then soaring on main wing, 
Tormented all the air : all air seem'd then 
Conflicting fire. Long time in even scale 245 

The battle hung ; till Satan, who that day 
Prodigious pow'r had shown, and met in arms 
No equal, ranging through the dire attack 
Of fighting Seraphim confused, at length 

Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and fell'd 250 

Squadrons at once : with huge two-handed sway 
Brandish'd aloft the horrid edge came down 
Wide wasting : such destruction to withstand 
He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb 

Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield : 255 

A vast circumference. At his approach 
The great Arch-Angel from his warlike toil 
Surceased, and glad, as hoping here to end 
Intestine war in Heav'n, th' arch-foe subdued, 
Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hostile frown 260 

And visage all inflamed, first thus began : 
Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt, 
Unnamed in Heav'n, now plenteous, as thou seest 

the word signifies in Latin. The metaphor of the scale is employed in 245, 
as it is also in Homer, II. xii. 433 ; but Homer taught him to excel Homer. — N. 

242. The meaning is: The war was sometimes a standing fight on the 
ground, and sometimes the war soaring on main (powerful) wing, tormented 
all the air. — P. 

248. No equal : Though Abdiel had an advantage over Satan in the begin- 
ning of the fight, he is not considered by the poet as equal to him in strength. 

251. Two-handed sway, fyc. : It was accordant with ideas of chivalry and 
romance, to make Michael fight with a two-handed sword. 

258. Surceased: Ceased. 

262. These speeches, that follow, give breath to the reader after the hurry 
of the general battle ; and prepare his mind for the ensuing combat between 
Michael and Satan. It is the practice, likewise, of Homer and Virgil, to 
make their heroes discourse before they fight : it renders the action more 
solemn, and more engages the reader's attention. — N. 



book vi. 259 

These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all, 

Though heaviest by just measure on thyself 265 

And thy adherents, how hast thou disturb'd 

Heav'n's blessed peace, and into nature brought 

Misery, uncreated till the crime 

Of thy rebellion ? How hast thou instill'd 

Thy malice into thousands, once upright 270 

And faithful, now proved false ? But think not here 

To trouble holy rest ; Heav'n casts thee out 

From all her confines. Heav'n, the seat of bliss, 

Brooks not the works of violence and war, 

Hence then, and evil go with thee along, 275 

Thy offspring, to the place of evil, Hell, 

Thou and thy wicked crew ; there mingle broils 

Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom, 

Or some more sudden vengeance wing'd from God 

Precipitate thee with augmented pain. 280 

So spake the Prince of Angels : to whom thus 
The Adversary : Nor think thou with wind 
Of aery threats to awe whom yet with deeds 
Thou canst not. Hast thou turn'd the least of these 
To flight, or if to fall, but that they rise 285 

Unvanquish'd, easier to transact with me 
That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with threats 
To chase me hence ? Err not that so shall end 
The strife which thou call'st evil, but we style 
The strife of glory ; which we mean to win, 290 

Or turn this Heav'n itself into the Hell 
Thou fablest, here however to dwell free, 
If not to reign. Mean while thy utmost force, 
And join him named Almighty to thy aid, 
I fly not, but have sought thee far and nigh. 295 

They ended parle, and both address'd for fight 
Unspeakable ; for who, though with the tongue 

282. The Adversary : Satan, of which Hebrew word it is a translation. 
288. Err : Mistake. 
296. Parle.- Debate. 



260 PARADISE LOST. 

Of Angels, can relate, or to what things 

Liken on earth conspicuous, that may lift 

Human imagination to such height 300 

Of Godlike pow'r ? for likest Gods they seem'd, 

Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms, 

Fit to decide the empire of great Heav'n. 

Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air 

Made horrid circles : two broad suns their shields 305 

Blazed opposite, while expectation stood 

In horror : from each hand with speed retired, 

Where erst was thickest fight, th' angelic throng, 

And left large field, unsafe within the wind 

Of such commotion ; such as, to set forth 310 

Great things by small, if Nature's concord broke, 

Among the constellations war were sprung, 

Two planets rushing from aspect malign 

Of fiercest opposition in mid-sky 

Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound, 315 

Together both with next to almighty arm 

Uplifted imminent, one stroke they aim'd 

That might determine, and not need repeat, 

As not of powV at once ; nor odds appear'd 

In might or swift prevention. But the sword 320 

298-9. The sense is : Can relate that fight, or to what things liken it on 
earth, so conspicuous as to lift, &c. 

302. Stood they or moved : Whether they stood or moved. 

306. Expectation is here personified. 

320-25. But the stvord, fyc. : Milton, notwithstanding the sublime genius 
he was master of, has, in this Book, drawn to his assistance all the helps ho 
could meet with among the ancient poets. This passage is a copy of that in 
Virgil, wherein the poet tells us that the sword of iEneas, which was given 
him by the Deity, broke into pieces the sword of Turnus, which came from 
a mortal forge. As the moral in this place is divine, so, by the way, we 
may observe, that the bestowing on a man who is favoured by Heaven, such 
an allegorical weapon, is very conformable to the old eastern way of think- 
ing. Not only Homer has made use of it, but we find the Jewish hero in 
the Book of Maccabees, who had fought the battles of the chosen people 
with so much glory and success, receiving in his dream a sword from the 
hand of the prophet J eremiah. — A. Prevention : Anticipation 



BOOK VI. 261 

Of Michael from the armoury of God, 

Was giv'n him temper'd so, that neither keen 

Nor solid might resist that edge. It met 

The sword of Satan with steep force to smite 

Descending, and in half cut sheer ; nor stay'd, 325 

But with swift wheel reverse, deep ent'ring shared 

All his right side : then Satan first knew pain, 

And writhed him to and fro convolved ; so sore 

The gliding sword with discontinuous wound 

PassM through him : but th' ethereal substance closed, 330 

Not long divisible ; and from the gash 

A stream of nect'rous humour, issuing, flow'd 

Sanguine, such as celestial Spirits may bleed, 

And all his armour stain M ere while so bright. 

Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run 335 

By angels many and strong, who interposed 

Defence, while others bore him on their shields 

Back to his chariot, where it stood retired 

From off the files of war : there they him laid ■ 

Gnashing for anguish, and despite, and shame, 340 

To find himself not matchless, and his pride 



325-29. In half cut sheer : Cut in two at once and completely. The 
pause at the word sheer adds force to the idea conveyed. The passage is an 
imitation of the Iliad, iii. 363, and of the JEn. xii. 731, &c. There is a 
peculiar adaptation in the words shared, writhed, convolved so sore, griding, 
and discontinuous wound, to the end of impressing deeply on the mind of the 
reader the pain inflicted upon Satan by Michael's keen sword. 

326. Swift wheel reverse : With a swift turn in an opposite direction. 

326. Griding : Harshly cutting. Discontinuous : Breaking up the con- 
tinuity of the parts. 

332. This passage, wherein Satan is described as wounded by the sword 
of Michael, is in imitation of Homer, who tells us, in the same manner, 
that upon Diomede's wounding the gods, there flowed from the wound an 
ichor, or pure kind of blood, which was not bred from mortal viands ; and 
that though the pain was exquisitely great, the wound soon closed up and 
healed in those beings who are vested with immortality. — A. 

335-36. Was run by angels : A Latin form of expression for angels ran. 

340. Despite: Spite. 



262 PARADISE LOST. 

Humbled by sucb rebuke, so far beneath 

His confidence to equal God in pow'r. 

Yet soon he heal'd ; for Spirits that live throughout 

Vital in ev'ry part, not as frail man 345 

In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins, 

Cannot but by annihilating die ; 

Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound 

Receive, no more than can the fluid air. 

All heart they live, all head, all eye, all ear, 350 

All intellect, all sense : and as they please, 

They limb themselves : and colour, shape, or size 

Assume, as likes them best, condense or rare. 

Meanwhile in other parts like deeds deserved 
Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought, 355 

And with fierce ensigns pierced the deep array 
Of Moloch, furious king ; who him defy'd, 
And at his chariot-wheels to drag him bound 
Threaten'd ; nor from the Holy One of Heav'n 
Refrain 'd his tongue blasphemous ; but anon 360 

Down cloven to the waist, with shatter'd arms 
And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing 
Uriel and Raphael his vaunting foe, 

344. For spirits that live, <§r. : We see here Milton's notions of angels. 
They are vital in every part, can receive no mortal wound, and cannot die 
but by annihilation. They are all eye, all ear, all sense and understanding ; 
and can assume what kind of bodies they please. These notions, if not true 
in divinity, yet, certainly, are very fine in poetry ; but most of them are not 
disagreeable to those hints which are left us of these spiritual beings in 
Scripture. — N. 

350. The account which Pliny gives of God is very similar to this. 

353. Likes : Suits. Condense : Dense. 

355-62. Where the might of Gabriel, §c. : Milton, in his description of his 
furious Moloch, flying from the battle, and bellowing with the wound he had 
received, doubtless had his eye on Mars, in the Iliad, who, upon his being 
wounded, is represented as retiring out of the fight, and making an outcry 
louder than that of a whole army when it begins the charge. The reader 
will easily observe how Milton has kept all the horror of this image with- 
out running into the ridiculousness of it. — A. 

The expression " might of Gabriel fought," is imitated from Homer. 

363. After Raphael, some critics propose to insert the word each. 






book vi. 263 

Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arm'd, 

Vanquish^ Adramelech and Asmadai, 365 

Two potent thrones,, that to be less than Gods 

Disdain'd, but meaner thoughts learn'd in their flight, 

Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail. 

Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy 

The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow 370 

Ariel and Arioch, and the violence 

Of Ramiel scorch'd and blasted overthrew. 

I might relate of thousands, and their names 

Eternize here on earth ; but those elect 

Angels, contented with their fame in Heaven, 375 

Seek not the praise of men. The other sort 

In might though wondrous, and in acts of war, 

Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom 

Cancell'd from Heaven and sacred memory, 

Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell. 380 

For strength from truth divided and from just, 

Illaudable, nought merits but dispraise 

And ignominy ; yet to glory aspires 

Vain-glorious, and through infamy seeks fame : 

Therefore eternal silence be their doom. 385 

And now their mightiest quell'd, the battle swerved, 
With many an inroad gored ; deformed rout 
Enter'd, and foul disorder ; all the ground 
With shiver'd armour strewn, and on a heap 
Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd, 390 

365. Adramelech : Afterwards one of the idols of Sepharvaim, in Samaria, 
2 Kings xvii. 31. Asmadai, the same as Asmodeus, Tobit iii. 8. The name 
is, by some, derived from a word signifying to exterminate. 

368. Plate and mail : Two sorts of armour, the former consisting of thin 
plates of metal laid over one another like the scales of a fish, and sewed 
down to a strong linen or leathern jacket ; the other, called chain mail, was 
a coat of steel net-work, consisting of iron rings, each having four other 
rings inserted in it. 

371. Ariel is a word meaning £i lion of God," or "lion-like." 2 Sam. 
xxiii. 20 ; 1 Chron. xi. 22. Arioch is of a similar signification. Ramiel, 
one that exalts himself against God. 

386. Battle : Army, or the main body of it. 



264 PARADISE LOST. 

And fiery foaming steeds; what stood, recoil'd 

O'erwearied, through the faiut Satanic host 

Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surprised, 

Then first with fear surprised and sense of pain, 

Fled ignominious, to such evil brought 

By sin of disobedience, till that hour 

Not liable to fear, or flight, or pain. 

Far otherwise th 1 inviolable Saints 

In cubic phalanx firm advanced entire, 

Invulnerable, impenetrably arm'd : 400 

Such high advantages their innocence 

Gave them above their foes, not to have sinn'd, 

Not to have disobey'd : in fight they stood 

Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pakTd 40j 

By wound, tho' from their place by violence moved. 

Now night her course began, and over Heaven 
Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed, 
And silence on the odious din of war. 
Under her cloudy covert both retired, 

391. What stood is connected as a nominative case with the verbs recoiled 
&nd fled ; and is put in opposition to what lay overturned, in the preceding 
line. Part of the Satanic host lay overturned ; and that part which was not 
overturned, but kept on their feet, and stood, either gave way, and recoiled 
overwearied, or with pale fear surprised, fled ignominious. — N. 

393. Defensive scarce : Scarcely in a posture to defend. 

393. Till that, hour : It seems a very extraordinary circumstance attending 
a battle, that not only none of the warriors on either side were capable of 
death by wound, but, on one side, none were capable of wound or even 
of pain. This was a very great advantage on the side of the good angels, 
but we must suppose that the rebel angels did not know their own weak- 
ness till this hour. — N. 

399. Cubic : This is not to be interpreted in its strictest sense, but in the 
sense of square, having so much of the property of a cube as to be equal in 
length on each of its four sides. 

405. Though, $c. : This circumstance is judiciously added to prepare the 
reader for what happens in the next fight. — N. 

407. Inducing : Bringing on. The expression was probably taken from 
Horace, Sat. i. 5 : 9 : 

" Jam nox indncere terris 
Umbras, et coelo diffundeTe signa parabat" 



BOOK VI. 2<J.) 

Victor and vanquish'd, on the foughten field 410 

Michael and his angels prevalent 

Encamping, placed in-guard their watches round, 

Cherubic waving fires. On th' other part 

Satan with his rebellious disappear'd, 

Far in the dark dislodged ; and void of rest, 415 

His potentates to council call'd by night ; 

And in the midst thus undismay'd began : 

now in danger try'd, now known in arms, 
Not to be overpow'r'd, Companions dear, 
Found worthy not of liberty alone, 420 

Too mean pretence, but what we more affect, 
Honour, dominion, glory, and renown ; 
Who have sustain'd one day in doubtful fight 
(And if one day, why not eternal days ?) 

What Heaven's Lord had pow'rfullest to send 425 

Against us from about his throne, and judged 
Sufficient to subdue us to his will, 
But proves not so : then fallible, it seems, 
Of future we may deem him, though till now 
Omniscient thought. True is, less firmly arm'd, 430 

Some disadvantage we endured and pain, 

413. Cherubic waving fires : Their watches were cherubic leaving fires — 
that is, Cherubim like fires waving ; the Cherubim being described by our 
author, agreeably to Scripture, as of a fiery substance and nature. — N. 

415. Dislodged: Removed. 

418. Oh, now in danger, Sfc. : This speech of Satan is very artful. He 
flatters their pride and vanity, and avails himself of the only comfort that 
could be drawn from this day's engagement (though it was a false comfort) , 
that God was neither so powerful nor wise as he was taken to be. He was 
forced to acknowledge that they had suffered some loss and pain, but ender- 
vouis to lessen it as much as he can, and attributes it not to the true cause, 
but to their want of better arms and armour, which he therefore proposes 
that they should provide themselves withal, to defend themselves, and annoy 
their enemies. — N. 

421. Too mean pretence : Too small a claim. 

430. True is : True it is. 

431-32. So Prometheus, in like manner, comforts and confirms himself 
against Jupiter's threats. ^Eschyl. Prom. Vinct. 932. — K. 
12 



266 PARADISE LOST. 

Till now not known ; but known, as soon contemn'd ; 

Since now we find this our empyreal form 

Incapable of mortal injury, 

Imperishable, and though pierced with wound, 435 

Soon closing, and by native vigour heal'd. 

Of evil then so small, as easy think 

The remedy ; perhaps more valid arms, 

Weapons more violent, when next we meet, 

May serve to better us, and worse our foes ; 440 

Or equal what between us made the odds, 

In nature none. If other hidden cause 

Left them superior, while we can preserve 

Unhurt our minds and understanding sound, 

Due search and consultation will disclose. _~j 445 

He sat ; and in th' assembly next upstood 
Nisroch, of principalities the prime. 
As one he stood escaped from cruel fight, 
Sore toil'd, his riven arms to havoc hewn, 
And cloudy in aspect thus answ'ring spake : 450 

Deliverer from new Lords, leader to free 
Enjoyment of our right as Gods : yet hard 
For Gods, and too unequal work we find, 
Against unequal arms to fight in pain, 

Against unpain'd, impassive ; from which evil 455 

Ruin must needs ensue ; for what avails 
Valour or strength, though matchless, quell'd with pain 
Which all subdues, and makes remiss the hands 
Of mightiest ? Sense of pleasure we may well 
Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine, 460 

But live content, which is the calmest life : 
But pain is perfect misery, the worst 

440. Worse : Put to disadvantage. 

447. Nisroeh : An idol of the Ninevites, 2 Kings xix. 37 ; Isaiah xxxvii. 
38. In his temple Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was slain. 

455. Impassive : Incapable of pain. 

462. The worst of evils, fyc. : Nisroch is made to talk agreeably to the 
sentiments of Hieronymus, and those philosophers who maintained that pain 
is the greatest of evils : theie might be a possibility of living without plea- 



book vi. 267 

Of evils, and excessive, overturns 

All patience. He who therefore can invent 

With what more forcible we may offend 465 

Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm 

Ourselves with like defence, to me deserves 

No less than for deliverance what we owe. 

Whereto, with look composed, Satan reply'd: 
Not uninvented that, which thou aright 470 

Believ'st so main to our success, I bring. 
Which of us who beholds the bright surface 
Of this ethereous mould whereon we stand, 
This continent of spacious Heav'n, adorn'd 
With plant, fruit, flow'r ambrosial, gems, and gold ; 475 

Whose eye so superficially surveys 
These things, as not to mind from whence they grow 
Deep under ground, materials dark and crude, 
Of spirituous and fiery spume, till touch'd 
With Heaven's ray, and temper'd, they shoot forth 480 

So bounteous, op'ning to the ambient light ? 
These in their dark nativity the deep 
Shall yield us, pregnant with infernal flame ; 
Which into hollow engines, long and round, 
Thick ramm'd, at th' other bore with touch of fire 485 

Dilated and infuriate, shall send forth 
From far, with thund'ring noise among our foes, 
Such implements of mischief, as shall dash 

sure, but there was no living in pain — a notion suitable enough to a deity of 
the effeminate Assyrians. 

467. To me : That is, to my apprehension, or in my judgment. 

471. Main: Important. 

472. The construction is, which of us ivho beholds, &c, is there whose eye 
so superficially, &c. 

479. Spume : Frothy matter. 

481. Ambient: Encompassing. 

482. Deep : The deep ground, or soil. 

483. Infernal flame : Flame such as Hell furnishes. 

4S8. Implements of mischief : The second day's engagement is apt to startle 
an imagination which has not been raised and qualified for such a de crip- 



268 PARADISE LOST. 

To pieces, and ovVwhelm whatever stands 

Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarm'd 490 

The Thund'rer of his only dreaded bolt. 

Nor long shall be our labour ; yet ere dawn, 

Effect shall end our wish. Mean while revive ; 

Abandon fear ; to strength and council join'd 

Think nothing hard, much less to be despair'd. 495 

He ended, and his words their drooping cheer 
Enlighten'd, and their languish'd hope revived. 
Th' invention all admired, and each, how he 
To be th' inventor miss'd; so easy it seem'd 
Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought 500 
Impossible ; yet haply of thy race 
In future days, if malice should abound, 
Some one intent on mischief, or inspired 
With dev'lish machination, might devise 

Like instrument to plague the sons of men 505 

For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent. 

tion by the reading of the ancient poets, and of Homer in particular. It 
was certainly a very bold thought in our author to ascribe the first use of 
artillery to the rebel angels. But as such a pernicious invention may be 
well supposed to have proceeded from such authors, so it enters very pro-- 
perly into the thoughts of that being who is all along described as aspiring 
to the majesty of the Maker. Such engines were the only instruments he 
could have made use of to imitate those thunders which, in all poetry, sacred 
and profane, are represented as the arms of the Almighty. The tearing up 
the hills (544) was not altogether so daring a thought as the former. We 
are, in some measure, prepared for such an incident by the description of the 
giants' war, which we meet with among the ancient poets. What still made 
this circumstance the more proper for the poet's use, is the opinion of many 
learned men, that the fable of the giants' war, which makes so great a noise 
in antiquity, and gave birth to the sublimest description in Hesiod's works, 
was an allegory founded upon this very tradition of a fight between the good 
and bad angels. — A. 

496. Cheer : Cheerfulness. 

498-99. So east/, fyc. : How natural, and how conformed to experience, is 
this remark. Johnson applies it to fine writing. 

502. In future days, §r. : This speaking in the spirit of prophecy adds 
great dignity to poetry, a::d very properly comes from the mouth of an 
i : — ]Y. 



book vi. 269 

Forthwith from council to the work they flew ; 

None arguing stood ; innumerable hands 

Were ready ; in a moment up they turn'd 

Wide the celestial soil, and saw beneath 510 

Th' originals of nature in their crude 

Conception ; sulphurous and nitrous foam 

They found, they mingled, and with subtle art, 

Concocted and adusted they reduced 

To blackest grain, and into store convey'd. 515 

Part hidden veins digg'd up (nor hath this earth 

Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone, 

Whereof to found their engines and their balls 

Of missive ruin ; part incentive reed 

Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire. 520 

So all ere day-spring, under conscious night, 

Secret they finish'd, and in order set, 

With silent circumspection unespy'd. 

Now when fair morn orient in Heav'n appear'd, 
Up rose the victor Angels, and to arms 525 

The matin-trumpet sung. In arms they stood 
Of golden panoply, refulgent host, 
Soon banded : others from the dawning hills 

511-12. Crude conception: Unformed or uncom pounded state. 

514. Concocted : Purified. Adusted : Dried by heat. 

517. Stone : This may have been that which was used for balls, or that 
which, in the mine, surrounded the metallic substance of which they con- 
structed their engines and balls. 

519. Incentive : Inflaming, inflammable. 

520. Pernicious : Swift. 

521. Conscious night : Night is here personified, and described as acquaint 
ed with their operations. Ovid, Met. xiii. 15, has a similar expression: 

" quorum nox conscia sola est.'' 

526. The matin-trumpet sung : A classical expression, Virg. JEn. v. 113. 

527. Panoply : Complete armour for the whole person. 

528. Dawning hills : This epithet is usually applied to the light, but her .,, 
very poetically, to the hills, the dawn first appearing over them, and they 
seeming to bring the rising day ; as the evening star is said likewise first to 
appear on his hill-top, VIII. 520.— N. 



270 PARADISE LOST. 

Look'd round, and scouts each coast, light-armed scour, 

Each quarter, to descry the distant foe, 530 

Where lodged, or whither fled, or if for fight, 

In motion or in halt. Him soon they met 

Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow 

But firm battalion. Back with speediest sail 

Zophiel, of Cherubim the swiftest wing, 535 

Came flying, and in mid-air aloud thus cry'd : 

Arm, Warriors, arm for fight ; the foe at hand, 
Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit 
This day. Fear not his flight ; so thick a cloud 
He comes, and settled in his face I see 540 

Sad resolution and secure. Let each 
His adamantine coat gird well, and each 
Fit well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield, 
Borne ev'n or high ; for this day will pour down, 
If I conjecture aught, no drizzling show'r. 545 

But rattling storm of arrows barb'd with fire. 

So warn'd he them, aware themselves, and soon 
In order, quit of all impediment : 
Instant without disturb they took alarm, 

And onward moved embattled ; when behold, 550 

Not distant far with heavy pace the foe 

533. Slow but firm : Slow in drawing their cannon ; firm in order to con- 
ceal it, 551.— N. 

535. Zophiel : Spy of God. 

541. Sad: Sullen. 

542. Coat: Hor. Ode i. 6 : 13: 

" Martem tunica tectum adaviantina.'" 

T. 

545. Aught : Fenton suggests in place of this, the word " right." 

546. Battling, §c. : The reader should notice the prevalence of the letter 
r in this sentence, found in almost every word ; and observe the great ex- 
pression which its rolling sound gives to the sense. Barbed with fire: 
headed, or bearded with fire. 

548. Impediment : Baggage. 

549. Disturb : Disturbance. 



BOOK VI. 271 

Approaching gross and huge, in hollow cube 

Training his devilish engin'ry, impaled 

On ev'ry side with shadowing squadrons deep. 

To hide the fraud. At interview both stood 555 

A while ; but suddenly at head appear'd 

Satan, and thus was heard commanding loud : 

Vanguard, to right and left the front unfold, 
That all may see who hate us, how we seek 
Peace and composure, and with open breast 560 

Stand ready to receive them, if they like 
Our overture, and turn not back perverse ; 
But that I doubt. However witness Heaven, 
Heav'n witness thou anon, while we discharge 
Freely our part ; ye who appointed stand, 565 

Do as ye have in charge, and briefly touch 
What we propound, and loud that all may hear. 

So scoffing in ambiguous words, he scarce 

552. Cube : The use of this term, if strictly interpreted (and not loosely 
as in 399) implies that the army was moving in the air. See lines 69-76. 

553. Training: Drawing in train. Impaled: Surrounded as with pali- 
sades or stakes. 

557. Thus was heard, fyc. : The speech that follows is full of wit and 
humour. The words, open breast, overture, discharge, touch, loud, are to be 
emphasized. 

568. So scoffing, fyc. : We cannot pretend entirely to justify this punning 
scene ; but we should consider that there is very little of this kind of wit 
any where in the poem but in this place; and in this we may suppose Mil- 
ton to have sacrificed to the taste of his times when puns were better relish- 
ed than they are at present in the learned world ; and I know not whether 
we are not grown too delicate and fastidious in this particular. It is certain 
that the ancients practised them more both in their conversation and in their 
writings; and Aristotle recommends them in his book of Rhetoric, and 
likewise Cicero in his Treatise of Oratory ; and if we should condemn them 
absolutely, we must condemn half of the good saying of the greatest wits 
of Greece and Rome. They are less proper indeed in serious works, and 
not at all becoming the majesty of an epic poem; but our author seems to 
have been betrayed into this excess, in great measure, by his love and ad- 
miration of Homer ; for this account of the angels jesting and insulting one 
another, is not unlike some passages in the 16th book of the Iliad ; and, as 
Mr. Thyer observes, Milton is the less to be blamed for this punning scene. 



272 PARADISE LOST. 

Had ended ; when to right and left the front 

Divided, and to either flank retir'd : 570 

Which to our eyes discover'd, new and strange, 

A triple mounted row of pillars laid 

On wheels (for like to pillars most they seem'd, 

Or hollow'd bodies made of oak or fir, 

"With branches lopt, in wood or mountain fell'd) 575 

Brass, iron, stony mold, had not their mouths 

With hideous orifice gaped on us wide, 

Portending hollow truce. At each, behind, 

A Seraph stood, and in his hand, a reed 

Stood waving, tipt with fire : while we suspense 580 

Collected stood within our thoughts amused, 

Not long, for sudden all at once their reeds 

Put forth, and to a narrow vent apply'd 

With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame, 

But soon obscured with smoke, all Heav'n appear'd, 585 

From those deep-throated engines belch'd, whose roar 

Embowel'd with outrageous noise the air, 

when one considers the characters of the speakers, such kind of insulting 
wit being most peculiar to proud, contemptuous spirits. — N. 

570. Divided : Nothing can be more distinct, picturesque, and grand, than 
this advance of Satan's army with his masked artillery. — E. B. 

576. Mold bears the sense of substance ; and, although Dr.' Bentley would 
change the text, and read cast in mold, in order to rid the poem of stone can- 
non, as he expresses it, it is unnecessary, for such cannon were to be seen a 
century ago at Delft, in Holland. It is probable that Milton had seen them 
in his travels on the continent, and was thus led to introduce them as part 
of the artillery of Satan ; though it cannot be doubted that cannon of such 
material would not be very lasting. 

578. Portending hollow truce: Showing a deceitful suspension of fight. 
There is a play upon the word hollow, which should be noticed. 

580.. Stood waving in his hand a reed tipt with fire. Suspense: In sus- 
pense. 

586. Deep-throated engi7ies : Shakspeare, in Othello, Act iii., had used the 
same expression : 

" And oli, you mortal engines, whose rude throats 
Th' immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit." 

587. Embowel'd, fyc. Filled, or penetrated, the air with outrageous noise. 



book vi. 273 

And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul 

Their dev'lish glut, chain'd thunderbolts and hail 

Of iron globes ; which on the victor host 590 

Levell'd with such impetuous fury smote, 

That whom they hit, none on their feet might stand, 

Though standing else as rocks, but down they fell 

By thousands, Angel on Arch-Angel roll'd ; 

The sooner for their arms ; unarm'd they might 595 

Have easily as Spirits evaded swift 

By quick contraction or remove ; but now 

Foul dissipation follow'd and forced rout ; 

Nor served it to relax their serried files. 

What should they do ? If on they rush'd, repulse 600 

Repeated, and indecent overthrow 

Doubled, would render them yet more despised, 

And to their foes a laughter ; for in view 

Stood rank'd of Seraphim another row, 

In posture to displode their second tire 605 

Of thunder ; back defeated to return 

They worse abhorr'd. Satan beheld their plight, 

And to his mates thus in derision call'd : 

Friends, why come not on these victors proud ? 
Ere while they fierce were coming ; and when we 010 

To entertain them fair with open front 
And breast (what could we more?) propounded terms 
Of composition, straight they changed their minds, 
Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell, 
As they would dance ; yet for a dance they seem'd 615 

The roar is said to do what in fact the cannon did ; the property of a thing 
by a common figure, being put for the thing itself. See also II. 654, fcr 
another example. ^?j> is here personified, and viewed as an animal. 

589. Glut: What they had swallowed, viz., chained thunderbolts and 
hail of iron globes. 

597. Remove: Removal. 598. Dissipation: Dispersion. 

599. Nor served : Nor did it accomplish any good purpose to open their 
compact files. 

604. Rank'd : In ranks. 605. Tire : Tier, row. 

608. In derision called : Another humorous speech here follows. 
12* R 



274 PARADISE LOST. 

Somewhat extravagant and wild, perhaps 
For joy of offer'd peace. But I suppose. 
If our proposals once again were heard, 
We should compel them to a quick result. 

To whom thus Belial, in like gamesome mood : 620 

Leader, the terms we sent were terms of weight, 
Of hard contents, and full of force urged home, 
Such as we might perceive amused them all, 
And stumbled many ; who receives them right, 
Had need from head to foot well understand ; 625 

Not understood, this gift they have besides, 
They shew us when our foes walk not upright. 

So they among themselves in pleasant vein, 
Stood scoffing, heighten'd in their thoughts beyond 
All doubt of victory ; Eternal Might 630 

To match with their inventions they presumed 
So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn, 
And all his host derided, while they stood 
A while in trouble : but they stood not long ; 
Bage prompted them at length, and found them arms 635 

Against such hellish mischief fit to oppose 
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the pow'r, 
Which God hath in his mighty Angels placed !) 
Their arms away they threw, and to the hills 
(For earth hath this variety from Heav'n 640 

Of pleasure situate in hill and dale) 
Light as the lightning glimpse they ran, they flew; 
From their foundations loos'ning to and fro, 

620. Like gamesome mood: The pun is remarkably well illustrated in 
Belial's speech. Notice the words, terms of weight, hard contents, force urged 
home, understand, understood. This language came more appropriately from 
Belial than it would have done from any other of the fallen angels. 

625, Understand : Be well fortified as to his position. The same equivo- 
cation is used by Shakspeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona : " My staff under- 
stands me." 



(335. Rage: Indignation. 



Furor arma ministrat." 

Virg. Ma. i. 150. 



book vi. 275 

They pluck'd the seated hills with all their load, 
Rocks, waters, woods, and, by the shaggy tops 645 

Uplifting, bore them in their hands. Amaze, 
Be sure, and terror seized the rebel host, 
When coming towards them so dread they saw 
The bottom of the mountains upward tuvn'd ; 
Till on those cursed engines triple-row 650 

They saw them whelm 'd, and all their confidence 
Under the weight of mountains buried deep ; 
Themselves invaded next, and on their heads 
Main promontories flung, which in the ait- 
Came shadowing, and oppress'd whole legions arm'd. 655 
Their armour help'd their harm, crush'd in and bruis'd 
Into their substance pent, which wrought them pain 
Implacable, and many a dolorous groan 
Long struggling underneath, ere they could wind 
Out of such pris'n, though Spirits of purest light ; 660 
Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown. 
The rest in imitation to like arms 
Betook them, and the neighbVing hills uptore : 
So hills amid the air encounter'd hills, 

HuiTd to and fro with jaculation dire, 665 

That under ground they fought in dismal shade ; 

644. They pluck'd the seated hills, fyc. : It may, perhaps, be worth while to 
consider with what judgment Milton, in this narration, has avoided every- 
thing that is mean or trivial in the description of the Latin and Greek poets ; 
and, at the same time, improved every great hint which he met with in 
their works upcn this subject. — A. 

646. Amaze: Amazement. 648. Dread: Dreadful. 654. Main: Vast. 

661. The degrading tendency of sin is here well exhibited; also in lines 
690-91. 

662. The rest : The evil angels. 

666. Under ground, §c. : One of the Spartans at the battle of Thermo- 
pylae, when told that the arrows of the Persians would be so numerous as to 
obscure the sun, bravely replied. " No matter, we shall have the advantage 
of fighting in the shade ;" but these lines reveal to us a more surprising 
shade, and more impenetrable — that of hills hurled against each other, and 
meeting in mid air. See Book II. 539. 



276 PARADISE LOST. 

Iuferuul noise ! War seem'd a civil game 

To this uproar : horrid confusion heap'd 

Upon confusion rose : and now all Heav'n 

Had gone to wrack, with ruin overspread, 670 

Had not th' Almighty Father, where he sits 

Shrined in his sanctuary of Heav'n secure, 

Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen 

This tumult, and permitted all, advised : 

That his great purpose he might so fulfil, 675 

To honour his anointed Son avenged 

Upon his enemies, and to declare 

All pow'r on him transferr'd : whence to his Son 

Th' Assessor of his throne, he thus began : 

Effulgence of my glory, Son beloved, 680 

Son in whose face invisible is beheld 
Visibly what by Deity I am, 
And in whose hand what by decree I do, 
Second Omnipotence, two days are past, 

Two days, as we compute the days of Heav'n, 685 

Since Michael and his Pow'rs went forth to tame 
These disobedient. Sore hath been their fight, 
As likeliest was, when two such foes met arm'd ; 
For to themselves I left them, and thou know'st 
Equal in their creation they were form'd, 690 

Save what sin hath impair'd, which yet hath wrought 
Insensibly, for I suspend their doom ; 
Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last 
Endless, and no solution will be found. 
War wearied hath perform'd what war can do, 695 

667. Civil: Gentle. 

070. Had gone to wrack : Milton's battles resemble those of Homer in one 
property — that of rising in intensity and horror one above another. 

673. The sum of things : All things. 

674. JIdvised : Advisedly ; in a deliberate manner. 

681. Invisible: That which is invisible. Visibly: plainly. 
691. Save what. &fc. : Before these words must be understood, " and equal 
they are still," or words equivalent. Insensibly : By slow degrees. 
694. Solution : Release, separation. 



book vr. 277 

And to disorder'd rage let loose the reins, 

With mountains as with weapons arm'd, which makes 

Wild work in Heav'n, and dang'rous to the main. 

Two days are therefore past, the third is thine ; 

For thee I have ordain'd it, and thus far 700 

Have suffer'd, that the glory may be thine 

Of ending this great war, since none but Thou 

Can end it. Into Thee such virtue and grace 

Immense, I have transfused, that all may know 

In Heav'n and Hell thy pow'r above compare ; 705 

And this perverse commotion govern'd thus, 

To manifest thee worthiest to be Heir 

Of all things ; to be Heir and to be King 

By sacred unction, thy deserved right. 

Go then, thou Mightiest in thy father's might, 710 

Ascend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels 

That shake Heav'n's basis, bring forth all my war, 

My bow and thunder ; my almighty arms 

Gird on, and sword upon thy puissant thigh : 

Pursue these sons of darkness, drive them out 715 

From all Heav'n's bounds into the utter deep ; 

695. What tear can do : Within the compass of this one Book, we have 
all the variety of battles that can well be conceived : a single combat, and a 
general engagement ; a fight with darts, in imitation of the ancients ; a fight 
with artillery, in imitation of the moderns ; but the images in both arc 
raised greatly, to correspond to the superior nature of the combatants here 
engaged. 

698. Main : The greater part. 

705. Compare: Comparison. 

710-18. Go then, thou mightirst. fyc. : Milton has raised his description in 
this Book with many images taken out of the poetical parts of Scripture. 
The Messiah's chariot is formed upon a vision of Ezekiel, who, as Grotius 
observes, has very much in him of Homer's spirit, in the poetical parts of 
his prophecy. The lines here mentioned, in that glorious commission 
which is given the Messiah to extirpate the host of rebel angels, is drawn 
from a sublime passage in the 45th Psalm. The reader will easily discover 
other strokes of the same nature. — A. 

712. War: Implements of war. 

714. Puissant: Mighty. 



278 PARADISE LOST. 

There let them learn, as likes them, to despise 
God and Messiah his anointed King. 

He said, and on his Son with rays direct 
Shone full ; he all his Father full express'd 720 

Ineffably into his face received ; 
And thus the filial Godhead answ'ring spake : 

Father, Supreme of Heav'nly Thrones, 
First, Highest, Holiest, Best, thou always seck'st 
To glorify thy Son ; I always thee, 725 

As is most just ; this I my glory account, 
My exaltation, and my whole delight, 
That thou in me well pleased, declar'st thy will 
Fulfilled ; which to fulfil is all my bliss. 

Sceptre and pow'r, thy giving, I assume, 730 

And gladlier shall resign, when in the end 
Thou shalt be All in All, and I in thee 
For ever, and in me all whom thou lov'st : 
But whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on 
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on, 735 

Image of thee in all things ; and shall soon, 
Arm'd with thy might, rid Heav'n of these rebell'd, 
To their prepared ill mansion driv'n down, 
To chains of darkness, and the undying worm, 
That from thy just obedience could revolt, 740 

Whom to obey is happiness entire. 
Then shall thy Saints unmix'd, and from th' impure 
Far separate, circling thy holy mount, 
Unfeigned Hallelujahs to thee sing, 
Hymns of high praise : and I among them Chief. 745 

So said, he o'er his sceptre bowing, rose 
From the right hand of glory where he sat ; 
And the third sacred morn began to shine, 
Dawning through Heav'n. Forth rush'd with whirlwind sound 

717. As likes them : As it pleases them. 
732. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 28 ; John xvii. 21, 23. 
737. RebeWd: Rebellious. 

749, &c. The coming forth of the Messiah to destroy his foes, is the most 
sublime passage in the poem. It is a " torrent rapture" of fire. Its words 



book vi. 279 

The chariot of paternal Deity, 750 

Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, 

Itself instinct with Spirit, but convoy'd 

By four Cherubic shapes ; four faces each 

Had wondrous ; as with stars their bodies all 

And wings were set with eyes, with eyes the wheels 755 

Of beryl, and careering fires between ; 

Over their heads a crystal firmament, 

Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure 

Amber, and colours of the show'ry arch. 

He in celestial panoply all arm'd 760 

Of radiant Urim , work divinely wrought, 

Ascended. At his right hand victory 

Sat eagle-winged ; beside him hung his bow 

And quiver with three-bolted thunder stored ; 

do not run but rush, as if hurrying from the chariot of the Son. Suggested 
partly by Hesiod's " War of the Giants," and partly by Achilles' coming 
forth upon the Trojans, it is superior to both — indeed to anything in the com- 
pass of poetry. As the Messiah, in his progress, snatched up his fallen foes, 
and drove them before him like leaves on the blast, Milton, in the whirl- 
wind of his inspirations, snatches up words, allusions, images, from Homer, 
Hesiod, and the Book of God, and bears them, in terror and in triumph, 
on. As soon call a tornado the plagiarist of the boughs, rafters, houses, and 
woods, which it tears up, and carries forward in the fury of its power, as 
Milton, in a mood like this. — Gilfillan. 

751. Undrawn: Not drawn by external force. See Ezekiel i. 4, &c. ; Is. 
lxvi. 15. 

752. Spirit : Energy or activity. 

756. Beryl : Beryl, a precious mineral of a bluish green colour. It is the 
same as the emerald, except that the latter has a richer green colour. Ca- 
reering fires : Rapidly moving fires, or lightnings. 

757. Crystal firmament : See Ezek. i. 22, 26-28. 

761. Urim: The word means light, and hence the epithet radiant is pro- 
perly applied. It denotes a certain part of the dress, which, on certain great 
occasions, was worn by the Jewish High Priest. It is by Bishop Newton 
supposed to denote, in connection with Thummim, which signifies perfection, 
the clearness and certainty of the divine answers which were obtained by 
the High Priest when he consulted God with his breastplate on, in contra- 
distinction to the obscure, enigmatical, uncertain, and imperfect answers of 
the Heathen oracles. 



280 PARADISE LOST. 

And from about him fierce effusion roll'd 765 

Of smoke and bick'ring flame and sparkles dire : 

Attended with ten thousand thousand Saints, 

He onward came ; far off his coming shone ; 

And twenty thousand (I their number heard) 

Chariots of God, half on each hand were seen. 770 

He on the wings of Cherub rode sublime 

On the crystalline sky, in sapphire throned, 

Illustrious far and wide, but by his own 

First seen ; them unexpected joy surprised, 

When the great ensign of Messiah blazed 775 

Aloft, by Angels borne, his sign in Heav'n ; 

Under whose conduct Michael soon reduced 

His army, circumfused on either wing. 

Under their Head embody 'd all in one. 

Before him pow'r divine his way prepared : 780 

At his command th' uprooted hills retired 

Each to his place ; they heard his voice, and went 

Obsequious ; Heav'n his wonted face renew'd, 

And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley smiled. 

This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdured, 785 

And to rebellious fight rallied their Pow'rs 

Insensate, hope conceiving from despair. 

In Heav'nly Spirits could such perverseness dwell ? 

But to convince the proud what signs avail, 

765. A furious tempest pouring forth smoke and destructive flame around 
him. Bickering : Fighting, and thence destroying, from the Welsh bicre, a 
combat. Compare Ps. xviii. 8 ; 1. 3. — H. 

767. See Jude 14. It is worthy of remark, how greatly indebted to 
sacred Scripture is the poet for the sublimest passages of his production. 

777. Reduced: Arranged. 778. Circumfused: Spread round. 

781. Uprooted hills, fyc. : A happy thought in Milton to restore the beautv 
of the celestial landscape. 

785. Obdured: Obstinate in their sinful purpose. 

787. Hope : Virg. M\\. ii. 354 : 

" Una salus victis. nullam sperare salutem." 
And Quintus Curtius •• 

i: . . . . sa?.pe desperatio spei causa est." 



BOOK VI. 281 

Or wonders move th' obdurate to relent ? 790 

They, harden'd more by what might most reclaim, 

Grieving to see his glory, at the sight 

Took envy ; and aspiring to his hight, 

Stood re-imbattled fierce, by force or fraud 

Weening to prosper, and at length prevail 795 

Against God and Messiah,- or to fall 

In universal ruin last ; and now 

To final battle drew, disdaining flight 

Or faint retreat ; when the great Son of God 

To all his host on either hand thus spake : 800 

Stand still in bright array, ye Saints ; here stand 
Ye Angels arm'd, this day from battle rest : 
Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God 
Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause ; 
And as ye have received, so have ye done 805 

Invincibly ; but of this cursed crew 
The punishment to other hand belongs : 
Vengeance is his, or whose he sole appoints ; 
Number to this day's work is not ordain'd, 
Nor multitude ; stand only and behold. 810 

God's indignation on these Godless pour'd 
By me ; not you, but me, they have despised, 
Yet envy'd. Against me is all their rage, 
Because the Father, t' whom in Heav'n supreme 
Kingdom, and pow'r, and glory appertains, 815 

Hath honour'd me according to his will. 
Therefore to me their doom he hath assign'd ; 
That they may have their wish, to try with me 
In battle which the stronger proves ; they all, 
Or I alone against them, since by strength 820 

They measure all, of other excellence 
Not emulous, nor care who them excels ; 
Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe. 



797. Last : At last. Newton and Bentley suggest, as a better reading, 
lost. 

80S. Consult Deut. xxxii. 35; Rom. xii. 19. 



282 PARADISE LOST. 

So spake the Son, and into terror changed 
His countenance, too severe to be beheld, 825 

And full of wrath bent on his enemies. 
At once the Four spread out their starry wings 
With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs 
Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the sound 
Of torrent floods, or of a num. 'rous. host. 833 

He on his impious foes right onward drove, 
Gloomy as night : under his burning wheels 
The steadfast empyrean shook throughout, 
All but the throne itself of God. Full soon 
Among them he arrived ; in his right hand 835 

Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent 
Before him, such as in their souls infixed 

824. Into terror, fyc. : Into that which was terrible changed his counte- 
nance, too severe to be beheld, and bent full of wrath on his enemies. Bent 
is a participle, and refers to countenance. 

827. Sjiread out, §c. : Their wings joined together made a dreadful shade, 
and Ezekiel says (i. 9) , " Their wings were joined one to another. 11 See also 
Ezek. i. 19, 24.— N. 

828. Orbs: Wheels. 

832. Gloomy as night : An image found in Homer's Iliad, xii. 462, and 
which Pope has translated into Milton's exact words ■ 

" Now rushing in, the furious chief appears. 
Gloomy as night." 

Compare with Odyssey xi. 605, for a similar phrase, which Broome has trans- 
lated also by these same words of Milton. Burning wheels : Daniel vii. 9, 
" his wheels as burning fire." 

832-34. Under his burning ivheels, fyc. : As Homer has introduced into his 
battle of the gods everything that is great and terrible in nature, Milton has 
filled his fight of good and bad angels with all the like circumstances of 
horror. The shout of armies, the rattling of brazen chariots, the hurling of 
rocks and mountains, the earthquake, the fire, the thunder, are all of them 
employed to lift up the reader's imagination, and give him a suitable idea of 
so great an action. 

In how sublime and just a manner does he describe the whole heaven 
shaking under the wheels of the Messiah's chariot, with the exception of 
the throne of God. — A. 

834. All but the throne, fyc. : This exception greatly enhances the majesty 
and sublimity of the description. 



book vr. < 283 

Plagues. They astonish'd, all resistance lost, 

All courage ; down their idle weapons dropt ; 

'er shields and helms and helmed heads he rode 840 

Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim prostrate, 

That wish'd the mountains now might be again 

Thrown on them, as a shelter from his ire. 

Nor less on either side tempestuous fell 

His arrows, from the fourfold-visaged Four, 845 

Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels 

Distinct alike with multitude of eyes ; 

One Spirit in them ruled, and ev'ry eye 

Glared lightning, and shot forth pernicious fire 

Among th' accursed, that wither'd all their strength, 850 

And of their wonted vigour left them drained, 

Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall'n : 

Yet half his strength he put not forth, but check'd 

His thunder in mid volley ; for he meant 

Not to destroy, but root them out of Heav'n. 855 

The overthrown he raised, and, as a herd 

Of goats or tim'rous flock together throng'd, 

838. Plagues: The pause resting so upon the first syllable of the line, 
makes this word very emphatical. The same beauty is seen in IV. 351. — 
N. 

841. Prostrate: Accent on the last syllable. 

842. That wished, fyc. : From Rev. vi. 16. The mountains, or hills, flying 
over their heads or falling upon them (655) were terrible ; but, in compari- 
son with the ten thousand thunders of Messiah (836) , are now regarded and 
desired as a shelter from his indignation. 

845. Fourfold visage : Ezek. i. 

853-55. Yet half his strength, §c. : Notwithstanding the Messiah appears 
clothed with so much terror and majesty, the poet, in these lines, has still 
found means to make his readers conceive an idea of him beyond what 1 e 
himself is able to describe. 

Milton's genius, which was so great in itself, and so strengthened by all 
the helps of learning, appears in this Book every way equal to his subject, 
which is the most sublime that could enter into the thoughts of a poet. As 
he knew all the arts of affecting the mind, he has given it certain resting- 
places and opportunities of recovering itself from time to time ; several 
speeches, reflections, similitudes, and the like reliefs being interspersed to 
diversify his narration, and ease the attention of the reader. — A. 



284 PARADISE LOST. 

Drove them before him thunder-struck, pursued 

With terrors and with furies to the bounds 

And crystal wall of Heav'n ; which opening wide, 860 

Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap disclosed 

Into the wasteful deep. The monstrous sight 

Struck them with horror backward, but far worse 

Urged them behind ; headlong themselves they threw 

Down from the verge of Heav'n ; eternal wrath 865 

Burnt after them to the bottomless pit. 

Hell heard th' unsufferable noise : Hell saw 
Heav'n ruining from Heav'n, and would have fled 
Affrighted ; but strict Fate had cast too deep 
Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound. 870 

Nine days they fell : confounded Chaos roar'd, 
And felt tenfold confusion in their fall 
Through his wild anarchy, so huge a rout 
Incumber'd him with ruin. Hell at last, 
Yawning, received them whole, and on them closed : 875 

Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire 
Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain. 

859. Terrors and furies may have been drawn from Job. vi. 4 ; Is. li. 20, 
and indicate the alarmed and frightfully disordered state of mind in which 
the rebel angels were hurried on to the abyss. The word furice is some- 
times employed in this sense by Virgil, Georg. iii. 511 ; JEn. i. 41 ; iv. 376, 
174. 

866. The uncommon measure of this verse, with only one Iambic foot in 
it, and that the last, is admirably contrived to express the idea. The beauty 
of it arises from the Pyrrhic in the third, and the Trochee in the fourth 
place : 

" Burnt after them to the bSttomless pit." 

N. 

868. Heav'n ruining : Heaven's subjects falling into ruin, rushing head- 
long. 

869. Fate : Destiny, determination or plan of God. 

871. Nine days, fyc. : So in Book I. 50. In the first Iliad, the plague con- 
tinues nine days ; and upon all occasions the poets are fond of the numbers 
nine and three. They have three Graces and nine Muses. — X. 

874. Incumbered : Confounded and embarassed. 

875. Yawnins: : The sentiment is found in Is. v. 14. 



BOOK VI. 2S5 

Disburden'd Heav'n rejoiced, and soon repair'd 

Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd. 

Sole victor from th' expulsion of his foes, 880 

Messiah his triumphal chariot turn'd : 

To meet him, all his saints, who silent stood 

Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts, 

With jubilee advanced ; and as they went, 

Shaded with branching palm, each order bright, 8S5 

Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King, 

Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion given, 

Worthiest to reign. He celebrated rode 

Triumphant through mid Heav'n, into the courts 

And temple of his Mighty Father throned 890 

On high ; who into glory him received ; 

Where now he sits at the right hand of bliss. 

Thus measuring things in Heav'n by things on Earth, 
At thy request, and that thou may'st beware 

879. Her mural breach: The opening in her wall. Returning (that is, the 
wall returning) wfeence it rolled. Mural is from the Latin muralis, and this 
from murus, a wall. 

884. Jubilee: The blast of a trumpet. An allusion is made to the great 
season of national festivity and happy changes among the Jews on every 
fiftieth year, called the year of Jubilee, described in Leviticus xxv. It was 
announced and introduced by the animating sound of trumpets; and signal- 
ized by the liberation of slaves, and the reverting of property, that had been 
alienated, to the original proprietors. 

888. Worthiest to reign: Rev. iv. 11. 

893. Thus measuring, §c. : The same apology was made in the beginning 
of the narration which is here made at the close. See v. 573, &c. : 

u By likening spiritual to corporeal forms," &c. ; 

and it is, indeed, the best defence that can be made for the bold fictions in 
this Book, which, though some cold readers may blame, yet the coldest, 1 
conceive, cannot but admire. It is remarkable, too, with what art and 
beauty the poet, from the height and sublimity of the rest of this Book, de- 
scends here, at the close of it, like the lark from her loftiest notes in the 
clouds, to the most prosaic simplicity of language and numbers ; a sim- 
plicity which not only gives it variety, but the greatest majesty, as Milton 
himself seems to have thought, by always choosing to give the speeches of 
God and the Messiah in that style. — N. 



286 PARADISE LOST. 

By what is past, to thee I have reveal'd 895 

What might have else to human race been hid ; 

The discord which befel, and war in Heav'n 

Among th' Angelic Pow'rs, and the deep fall 

Of those too high aspiring, who rebell'd 

With Satan ; he who envies now thy state, 900 

Who now is plotting how he may seduce 

Thee also from obedience, that with him 

Bereav'd of happiness thou may'st partake 

His punishment, eternal misery : 

Which would be all his solace and revenge, 905 

As a despite done against the Most High, 

Thee once to gain companion of his woe. 

But listen not to his temptations, warn 

Thy weaker ; let it profit thee to have heard, 

By terrible example, the reward 910 

Of disobedience. Firm they might have stood, 

Yet fell. Remember, and fear to transgress. C 

900. He who, tyc. : He (it is) who, &c. 

909. Thy weaker : Thy weaker " vessel," 1 Pet. iii. 7, thy weaker friend, 
Eve. 



BOOK VII. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Raphael, at the request of Adam, relates how and wherefore this world 
was first created ; that God, after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out 
of Heaven, declared his pleasure to create another world and other creatures 
to dwell therein ; sends his Son with glory and attendance of Angels to per- 
form the work of creation in six days ; the Angels celebrate with hymns the 
performance thereof, and his reascension into Heaven. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

The Seventh Book is nothing but delight ; all beauty, and hope, and 
smiles. It has little of the awful sublimity of the preceding books, and it 
has much less of that grand invention which sometimes astonishes with a 
painful emotion, but which is the first power of the poet : at the same time 
there is poetical invention in filling up the details. 

In every description Milton has seized the most picturesque feature, and 
found the most expressive and poetical words for it. On the mirror of his 
mind all creation was delineated in the clearest and most brilliant forms and 
colours ; and he has reflected them with such harmony and enchantment of 
language., as has never been equalled. 

Here is to be found everything which in descriptive poetry has the greatest 
spell ; all majesty or grace of forms, animate or inanimate ; all variety of 
mountains, and valleys, and forests, and plains, and seas, and lakes, and 
rivers; the vicissitudes of suns and of darkness ; the flame and the snow; 
the murmur of the breeze ; the roar of the tempest. 

One great business of poetry is, to teach men to see, and feel, and think 
upon the beauties of the creation, and to have gratitude and devotion to 
their Maker : this can best be effected by a poet's eye and a poet's tongue. 
Poets can present things in lights which can warm the coldest heart : he 
who can himself create, can best represent what is already created. — E. B. 



The author, in this Book, appears in a kind of composed and sedate 
majesty ; and though the sentiments do not produce such intense emotions 
as those in the preceding Book, they abound with as magnificent ideas. The 
Sixth Book, like a troubled ocean, represents greatness in confusion ; the 
Seventh affects the imagination like the ocean in a calm, and fills the mind 
of the reader, without producing in it anything like tumult or agitatiou. 

In this Book which gives us an account of the six days' works, the poet 
received but very few assistances from heathen writers, who are strangers 
to the wonders of creation. But as there are many glorious strokes of 
poetry upon this subject in Holy Writ, the author has numberless allusions 
to it through the whole course of this Book. — A. 



BOOK VII. 



Descend from Heav'n, Urania, by that name 
If rightly thou art call'd, whose voice divine 
Following, above th' Olympian hill I soar, 
Above the flight of Pegasean wing. 

1. Urania: An allusion to one of the heathen Muses, the goddess of as- 
tronomy. But under this name (5) the poet addresses another personage — 
a heavenly personage (Urania means heavenly) , and not a fiction ( 39 ) . He 
represents her as existing prior to the creation of the world ( 8 ) , as the 
sister of that Eternal Wisdom, whom Solomon celebrates, in the eighth 
chapter of his Book of Proverbs, as assisting at the formation of the heaven- 
ly bodies and of the earth. To her Solomon gives the name of Prudence. 
Prov. viii. 12. The poet ( 40 ) denotes her a goddess, merely in accommo- 
dation to classical poetic usage. She is introduced, though an imaginary 
being, to give variety to the narrative. Wisdom, in the eighth chapter of the 
Book of Proverbs, is a bold and happy personification of the divine attribute 
of that name. 

3. Olympian hill : A mountain in Thessaly, which the heathen poet^ 
fabled to be the residence of the gods, because its top, rising above tie 
clouds, was always serene. 

3-4. The plain import of these lines is, that he entertained his readers 
with subjects of thought far more elevated than those which were exhibited 
by heathen poets in their loftiest excursions. 

4. Pegasean wing : Pegasus, in heathen mythology, was a winged horse, 
which threw Bellerophon, its owner, when attempting to fly to Heaven. 
Pegasus afterwards ascended to a place among the stars. The fall of Beller- 
ophon is alluded to by Milton, below (17-19) . 

S 



290 PARADISE LOST. 

The meaning, not the name I call ; for thou 5 

Nor of the Muses nine, nor on the top 

Of old Olympus dwell'st, but heav'nly born : 

Before the bills appear'd, or fountain flow'd, 

Thou with eternal Wisdom didst converse, 

Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play 10 

In presence of th' Almighty Father, pleased 

With thy celestial song. Up led by thee 

Into the Heav'n of Heav'ns I have presumed, 

An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air, 

Thy temp'ring. With like safety guided down, 15 

Return me to my native element ; 

Lest from this flying steed, unrein'd (as once 

Bellerophon, though from a lower clime), 

Dismounted, on th' Aleian field I fall 

Erroneous there to wander and forlorn. 20 

Half yet remains unsung, but narrower bound 

Within the visible diurnal sphere ; 

10. Didst play : From the Latin Vulgate translation, ludcns coram eo, &c. 
Jn our translation it is " rejoicing." 

15. Thy tempering: This is said in allusion to the difficulty of respiration 
on high mountains. This empyreal air was too pure and fine for him ; but 
the heavenly muse (Urania) tempered and qualified it so as to make him 
capable of breathing in it ; which is a modest and beautiful way of bespeak • 
ing his reader to make favourable allowances for any failings he may have 
been guilty of in treating so sublime a subject. — N. 

17. Lest from this flying steed: He speaks here figuratively of his own 
flying steed, in distinction from the common Pegasus ( 4 ) . 

19. Aleian field: A tract in Cilicia Campestris (in Asia Minor) where, 
according to the poets, Bellerophon, after he was thrown from the horse 
Pegasus, wandered and perished. The story is related by Homer, in the 
Iliad, vi. 200, &c. 

20. Erroneous : Out of the way. Forlorn : And be forlorn or wretched. 

21. Half: Half of the episode, not of the entire poem. The episode has 
two principal pads, the war in Heaven, and the new creation ; the one was 
sirng, but the other remained unsung, and he is now entering upon it. 
Bound, like unsung, is a participle. The part remaining unsung is not rapt 
so much into the invisible world as the former part : it is confined in nar 
rower compass, and bound within the visible sphere of a day. — N. 

Narrower : More narrowly. 



BOOK VII. 291 

Standing on earth, nor rapt above the pole, 

More safe I sing with mortal voice, unchanged 

To hoarse or mute, -though fall'n on evil days, 25 

24-5. With mortal voice, unchanged to hoarse or mute, <$r. : Edward Everett, 
in one of his addresses, thus beautifully illustrates this passage : In Paradise 
Lost we feel as if we were admitted to the outer court of the Infinite. In 
that all-glorious temple of genius inspired by truth, we catch the full diapa- 
son of the heavenly organ. With its first choral swell, the soul is lifted 
from the earth. In the Divina Commedia (of Dante) , the man, the Floren- 
tine, the exiled Ghibbeline, stands out, from first to last, breathing defiance 
and revenge. Milton, in some of his prose works, betrays the partisan also; 
but in his poetry, we see him in the white robes of the minstrel, with up- 
turned, though sightless eyes, rapt in meditation at the feet of the heavenly 
muse. Dante, in his dark vision, descends to the depths of the world of 
perdition, and, homeless fugitive that he is, drags his proud and prosperous 
enemies down with him, and buries them, doubly destroyed, in the flaming 
sepulchres of the lowest Hell (DelP Inferno, Cantos ix.. x.) Milton, on the 
other hand, seems almost to have purged off the dross of humanity. Blind, 
poor, friendless, in solitude and sorrow, with quite as much reason as his 
Italian rival to repine at his fortune, and war against mankind, how calm 
and unimpassioned is he, in all that concerns his own personality ! He 
deemed too highly of his divine gift to make it the instrument of immor- 
talizing his hatreds. One cry, alone, of sorrow at his blindness Book III. 
40-50), one pathetic lamentation on the -'evil days'' on which he had 
"fallen" (VII. 25-27) , burst from his full heart. There is not a Rash of 
human wrath in all his pictures of woe. Hating nothing but evil spirits, in 
the child-like simplicity of his heart, his pure hands undefiled with the 
pitch of the political intrigues in which he had lived, he breathes forth his 
inexpressibly majestic strains, the poetry not so much of earth as of heaven. 
25. Evil days: Reference is here made to the profligate and dangerous 
times of Charles the Second, upon whose restoration to the throne, Milton, 
having been the Latin Secretary of Cromwell, and an opponent of the royal 
party, apprehended, in the first place, the loss of his life from the royal ven- 
geance, and when free from that danger upon receiving pardon, his appre- 
hensions next arose from exposure to the malice and resentment of private 
individuals. Richardson says that Milton, at this time of life, was always 
in fear, much alone, and slept ill ; that, when restless, being blind, he would 
ring for the person who wrote for him (.his daughter generally , to write 
what he had composed, which would sometimes flow with great ease. 

Macaulay, has thus characterised the " evil days" of which Milton speaks : 
Then came those days, never to be recalled without a blush — the days of ser- 
vitude without loyalty, and sensuality without love — of, dwarfish talents and 
gigantic vices — the golden age of the coward, the bigot, and the slave. The 
king cringed to his rival, that he might trample on his people : : as:k into a 



292 PARADISE LOST. 

On evil days though fall'n, and evil tongues ; 

In darkness, and with dangers coinpass'd round 

And solitude ; yet not alone, while thou 

Visit'st my slumbers nightly, or when morn 

Purples the east : still govern thou my song, 30 

Urania, and fit audience find, though few ; 

But drive far off the barb'rous dissonance 

viceroy of France, and pocketed, with complacent infamy, her degrading in- 
sults and her more degrading gold. The caresses of harlots, and the jests of 
buffoons, regulated the measures of the government, which had just ability 
enough to deceive, and just religion enough to persecute. In every high 
place, worship was paid to Charles and James — Belial and Moloch ; and 
England propitiated those obscene and cruel idols with the blood of her best 
and bravest children. 

25-26. Though fallen on evil days : The repetition, and change in the order 
of these words, are remarkably beautiful. 

26. Evil tongues : As an illustration of this may be adduced the cruel alle- 
gation of his political enemies, referred to in a former note, that his blind- 
ness was to be regarded as a punishment of his " execrable" writings on 
state affairs. In one of his replies, he makes known to us incidentally his 
ardour in the cause of human freedom, and opposition to tyranny, as the promi- 
nent cause of his total blindness — the occasion, at least, of rapidly hastening 
that sad event. He says : " As for what I wrote at any time (since royalists 
think I suffer on that account, and triumph over me) , I call God to witness 
that I did not write anything but what I then thought, and am still per- 
suaded to be, right and true, and acceptable to God ; nor led by any sort of 
ambition, profit, or vain-glory, but have done all from a sense of duty and 
honour, or out of piety to my country, and for the liberty of church and state. 
On the contrary, when the task of answering the king's defense was enjoin- 
ed me by public authority, being both in an ill state of health, and the sight 
of one eye almost gone already, the physicians openly predicting the loss of 
both if I undertook this labour, yet, nothing terrified by their premonition, I 
did not long balance whether my duty should be preferred to my eyes." 

The subject is further illustrated in a beautiful sonnet, which he addressed 
to Cyriac Skinner. 

31. Fit audience, though few : This sentiment well accords with that of 
Horace, Sat. i. 10: 73-74: 

'' neque. te ut miretur turba, labores, 

Contentus paucis lectoribus." 

Readers of poetry, in Milton's days, were few, especially those whose 
taste was. sufficiently cultivated, and whose learning was sufficiently various 
and profound. to apj reoiate what he was writing 



book vii. 293 

Of Bacchus and bis revellers, the race 

Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard 

In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears 35 

To rapture, till the savage clamour drown'd 

Both harp and voice ; nor could the Muse defend 

Her son. So fail not thou, who thee implores ; 

For thou art heav'nly, she an empty dream. 

Say, Goddess, what ensued when Raphael, 40 

The affable Arch-Angel, had forwarn'd 
Adam, by dire example, to beware 
Apostasy, by what befel in Heav'n 
To those apostates, lest the like befal 

In Paradise to Adam or his race, 45 

Charged not to touch the interdicted tree, 
If they transgress, and slight that sole command, 
So easily obey'd amid the choice 
Of all tastes else to please their appetite, 

Though wand'ring. He with his consorted Eve 50 

The story heard attentive, and was fill'd 
With admiration and deep muse, to hear 
Of things so high and strange, things to their thought 
So unimaginable as hate in Heav'n, 

And war so near the peace of God in bliss 55 

With such confusion ; but the evil soon 

33. Of Bacchus and his revellers : It is not improbable that the poet in- 
tended this as an oblique satire upon the dissoluteness of Charles the Second 
and his court ; from whom he seems to apprehend the fate of Orpheus, a 
famous poet of Thrace, who, though he is said to have charmed woods and 
rocks with his divine songs, yet was torn to pieces by the Bacchanalian 
women of Rhodope, a mountain of Thrace, nor could the muse Calliope, his 
mother, defend him ; " so fail not thou, who thee implores." Nor was his 
wish ineffectual, for the government suffered him to live and die unmolested 
— N. 

35. Ears, $c. : See Hor. Ode. i. 12 : 11 : 

" auritas fidibus canoris, 

Ducere quercus." 

T. 

38. Who : (Him) who, &c. 

52. Muse: Thought. 



294 PARADISE LOST. 

Driven back, redounded as a flood on those 

From whom it sprung, impossible to mix 

With blessedness. Whence Adam soon repeal'd 

The doubts that in his heart arose : and now 60 

Led on, yet sinless, with desire to know 

What nearer might concern him ; how this world 

Of Heav'n and Earth conspicuous, first began ; 

When, and whereof created ; for what cause 

What within Eden or without was done 65 

Before his memory, as one whose drouth 

Yet scarce allay'd, still eyes the current stream, 

Whose liquid murmur heard new thirst excites, 

Proceeded thus to ask his heav'nly guest : 

Great things, and full of wonder in our ears, 70 

Far difPring from this world, thou hast reveal'd 
Divine interpreter, by favour sent 
Down from the empyrean, to forewarn 
Us timely of what might else have been our loss, 
Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach : 75 

For which to th' infinitely Good we owe 
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment 
Receive with solemn purpose, to observe 
Immutably his sov'reign will, the end 

Of what we are. But since thou hast vouchsafed 80 

Gently for our instruction to impart 
Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd 

60. Doubts : See Book V. 554. Repealed : Dismissed, banished from his 
mind. 

69. Proceeded, fyc. : Its nominative is in 59. Adam, with desire to know, 
&c, proceeded thus to ask his heavenly guest. 

70. Great things, fyc. : Adam's speech to the angel, wherein he desires an 
account of what had passed without the regions of nature before the crea- 
tion, is very great and solemn. The lines (98-108) in whjch he tells him 
that the day is not too far spent for him to enter upon such a subject, are 
exquisite of their kind. — A. 

72. Divine interpreter : Virgil gives the same title to Mercury, iv. 378 : 
"Interpres Divum." 

79. Tlie end of what we are: The design of making us what we are : Rev. 
iv. 11. 



book vii. 295 

Our knowing, as to highest wisdom seem'd, 

Deign to descend now lower, and relate 

What may no less perhaps avail us known : 85 

How first began this* Heav'n which we behold 

Distant so high, with moving fires adorn'd 

Innumerable, and this which yields or fills 

All space, the ambient air wide interfused 

Embracing round this florid Earth : what cause , 90 

Moved the Creator in his holy rest 

Through all eternity so late to build 

In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon 

Absolved, if unforbid thou may'st unfold 

What we, not to explore the secrets, ask 95 

Of his eternal empire, but the more 

To magnify his works, the more we know. 

And the great light of day yet wants to run 

88-90. This which yields, fyc. : Yields space to all bodies, and again fills up 
the deserted space, so as to be subservient to motion. — R. 

Ambient interfused, denotes the air not only surrounding the earth, but 
flowing into, and spun out between, all bodies. — H. 

92. So late to build : It is a question that has been often asked, Why God 
did not create the world sooner 1 But the same question might be asked if 
the world had been created at any time ; for still there were infinite ages 
before that time ; and that can never be a just exception against this time, 
which holds equally against all time. It must be resolved into the good will 
and pleasure of Almighty God ; but there is a farther reason, according to 
Milton's hypothesis, which is, that God, after the expelling of Satan and 
his angels out of Heaven, declared his pleasure to supply their place by 
creating another world, and other creatures to dw r ell therein. — N. 

93. Chaos : A part of the universe represented as not yet reduced to order, 
form, and use. 

94. Absolved; Accomplished. 

97. The true and noblest end of the study of natural science is here 
brought to view. 

98. And the great light, <§r. : Mr. Thyer is of opinion that there is not a 
better instance of our author's exquisite skill in the art of poetry, than this 
and the following lines. There is nothing more really to be expressed than 
Adam's telling Raphael his desire to hear the continuance of his relation ; 
and yet the poet, by a series of strong and noble figures, has worked it up 
into half a score of as fine lines as any in the whole poem. Lord Shaftes- 
bury has observed, that Milton's beauties generally depend upon solid 



, of hib . .ice, tiiuugu steep ; buspense in Heav'n, 
xield by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, .100 

And longer will delay to hear thee tell 
His generation, and the rising birth 
Of nature from the unapparent deep ; 
Or if the star of ev'ning and the moon 

Haste to thy audience, night with her will bring 105 

Silence, and sleep list'ning to thee will watch ; 
Or we can bid his absence, till thy song 
End, and dismiss thee ere the morning shine. 
Thus Adam his illustrious guest besought ; 
And thus the God-like Angel answer'd mild : 110 

This also thy request with caution ask'd 
Obtain ; though to recount almighty works, 
What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice, 
Or heart of man suffice to comprehend ? 

Yet what thou canst attain, which best may serve 115 

To glorify the Maker, and infer 

thought, strong reasoning, noble passion, and a continued thread of moral 
doctrine ; but in this place he has shown what an exalted fancy, and the 
mere force of poetry, can do. — N. 

99. Suspense in Heaven : Suspended. Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, 
suspended in Heaven, he hears, &c. He delays, to hear thy voice. 

The poets, as Newton remarks, often feign the rivers to stop their course, 
and other inanimate objects of nature to hear the songs of Orpheus and the 
like ; nay, they represent charms and verses as capable of bringing the moon 
down from Heaven (Virg. Ec. viii. 4, 69) , and well, therefore, may Milton 
suppose the sun to delay, suspended in Heaven, to hear the angel tell his gene- 
ration, and especially since we read that the sun did stand still at the voice 
of Joshua. 

The same idea is conveyed by Ovid, who seems to have been a great 
favourite with Milton : 

" et enntem multa loquendo 

Detinuit sermone diem." 

103. Unapparent : Not visible on account of the darkness ; darkness was 
upon the face of the deep, Gen. i. 2. 

115. The angel's encouraging our first parents in a modest pursuit after 
knowledge, with the causes which he assigns for the creation of the world, 
are very just and beautiful. — A. 

116. Infer: Render; but Newton interprets it, " And by inference make 
thee also happier." 



book vii. 297 

Thee also happier, shall not be withheld 

Thy hearing ; such commission from above 

I have received, to answer thy desire 

Of knowledge within bounds ; beyond abstain 120 

To ask, nor let thine own inventions hope 

Things not reveal'd, which th' invisible King. 

Only omniscient, hath suppress'd in night ; 

To none communicable in Earth or Heav'n : 

Enough is left besides to search and know : 125 

But knowledge is as food, and needs no less 

Her temp'rance over appetite, to know 

In measure what the mind may well contain ; 

Oppresses else with surfeit, and soon turns 

Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind. 130 

Know then, that after Lucifer from Heav'n 
(So call him, brighter once amidst the host 
Of Angels than that star the stars among) 
Fell with his flaming legions through the deep 
Into his place, and the great Son return'd 135 

Victorious with his saints, th' Omnipotent 
Eternal Father from his throne beheld 
Their multitude, and to his Son thus spake : 

At least our envious foe hath fail'd, who thought 
All like himself rebellious : by whose aid 140 

This inaccessible high strength, the seat 
Of Deity supreme, us dispossess'd, 
He trusted to have seized, and into fraud 

121. Inventions: An allusion to Eccl. vii. 29 ; Ps. cvi. 29. It has the sense 
of reasoning. 

123. Night: Hot. Od. iii. 29 : 29: 

" Prudens futuri temporis exitura 
Caliginosa nocte premit Deus." 

Milton (122-23) has given almost an exact translation of those lines of 
Horace. 

135. His place: As Judas is said (Acts i. 25) to go to his own place — an 
appropriate place, a place of merited punishment. 

137. At least : Probably should be " at last." 

143. Into fraud : This word commonly means deceit, or deception, but 



298 PARADISE LOST. 

Drew many, whom their place knows here no more ; 

Yet far the greater part have kept, I see, 145 

Their station ; Heav'n yet populous retains 

Number sufficient to possess her realms 

Though wide, and this high temple to frequent 

With ministeries due and solemn rites : 

But lest his heart exalt him in the harm 150 

Already done, to have dispeopled Heav'n, 

My damage fondly deem'd, I can repair 

That detriment, if such it be to lose 

Self-lost, and in a moment will create 

Another world ; out of one man a race 155 

Of men innumerable, there to dwell, 

Not here, till by degrees of merit raised, 

They open to themselves at length the way 

Up hither, under long obedience try'd, 

And Earth be changed to Heav'n, and Heav'n to Earth, 160 

One kingdom, joy and union without end. 

Mean while inhabit lax, ye Pow'rs of Heav'n ; 

And thou, my Word, begotten Son, by thee 

sometimes denotes mischief, injury, misfortune. Newton remarks that Mil- 
ton, who so constantly makes Latin or Greek of English, does it here, and 
extends the idea to the misery, the punishment consequent upon the deceit, 
as well as the deceit itself. Compare V. 709, and I. 609. — R. 

144. Their place knows, fyc. : A scriptural phrase, Job vii. 10 ; Ps. ciii. 16. 

151. To have dispeopled Heaven: This phrase is to be taken not in its usual 
and widest sense, but as meaning, to have deprived Heaven of some inhabi- 
tants. 

154. And in a moment : Our author seems to favour the opinion of some 
divines, that God's creation was instantaneous, but the effects of it were 
made visible, and appeared during six days, in condescension to the capacities 
of angels ; and is so related by Moses in condescension to the capacities of 
men. — N. 

160. Changed to Heaven, §c. : Become like Heaven in the character and 
enjoyments of its inhabitants ; and Heaven changed to Earth, by receiving such 
obedient creatures from earth. The holy angels would also pass from one to 
the other. 

162. Inhabit lax : Dwell at ease, unoccupied with war, the apostate angels 
being vanquished. 



book vii. , 299 

This I perform ; speak thou and be it done. 

My overshadowing Spirit and might with thee 165 

I send along ; ride forth, and bid the deep 

Within appointed bounds be Heav'n and Earth, 

Boundless the deep, because I am who fill 

Infinitude, nor vacuous the space. 

Though I uncircumscribed myself retire 170 

And put not forth my goodness which is free 

To act or not, necessity and chance 

Approach not me ; and what I will is fate. 

So spake th' Almighty, and to what he spake, 
His Word, the filial Godhead, gave effect. 175 

Immediate are the acts of God, more swift 
Than time or motion ; but to human ears 
Cannot without process of speech be told ; 
So told as earthly notion can receive. 

Great triumph and rejoicing was in Heav'n, 180 

When such was heard declared th' Almighty's will. 
Glory they sung to the Most High, good-will 
To future men, and in their dwellings peace : 
Glory to him, whose just avenging ire 
Had driven out th' ungodly from his sight 185 



165. Overshadowing Spirit : We learn from Gen. i. 2, that the Spirit of 
God moved (or brooded) upon the face of the waters. The Spirit of God co- 
operated in the creation, and, therefore is said to "be sent along with the Son. 
—X. 

168. Boundless, Sfc. : The sense is : The deep is boundless, hut the space 
contained in it is not vacuous or empty, because there is an infinitude, and I 
fill it. Though I, who am myself uncircumscribed, set bounds to my good- 
ness, and do not exert it everywhere, yet neither necessity nor chance infiu 
ences my actions, &c. — P. 

173. Fate : That which is certain to take place. 

179. Notion : Understanding. 

182. Glory, fyc. : The angels are very properly made to sing the same 
divine song to usher in the creation that they did to usher in the second 
creation by Jesus Christ, Luke ii. 14. We approve of Dr. Bentley's emen- 
dation, to God Most High, as it improves the verse, is more opposed to men 
immediately following, and agrees better with the words of Luke. — N 



300 PARADISE LOST. 

And th' habitations of the just : to him 

Glory and praise, whose wisdom had ordain'd 

Good out of evil to create, instead 

Of Spirits malign, a better race to bring 

Into their vacant room, and thence diffuse 190 

His good to worlds and ages infinite. 

So sang the Hierarchies : Mean while the Son 
On his great expedition now appear'd, 
Girt with omnipotence, with radiance crown'd 
Of majesty divine ; sapience and love 195 

Immense, and all his Father in him shone. 
About his chariot numberless were pour'd 
Cherub and Seraph, Potentates and Thrones, 
And Virtues, winged Spirits, and chariots wing'd 
From th' armoury of God, where stand of old 200 

Myriads between two brazen mountains lodged 
Against a solemn day, harness'd at hand, 
Celestial equipage : and now came forth 
Spontaneous, for within them Spirit lived, 

Attendant on their Lord : Heav'n open'd wide 205 

Her ever-during gates, harmonious sound 
On golden hinges moving, to let forth 

185-87. To him glory, §c. : Remark here the turn of the words employed 
in 184. Great beauty and emphasis are given to words and phrases repeated 
in this manner. 

195. Sapience: Wisdom. 

197-207. About his chariot, fyc. : The Messiah, by whom, as we are told in 
Scripture, the heavens were made, goes forth in the power of his Father, 
surrounded with a host of angels, and clothed with such a majesty as be- 
comes his entering upon a work which, according to our conceptions, appears 
to be the utmost exertion of Omnipotence. What a beautiful description 
has our author raised upon that hint in one of the prophets : "And behold 
there came four chariots out from between two mountains ; and the moun- 
tains were mountains of brass." — A. 

Were poured : An expression that shows the readiness and forwardness of 
the angels to attend the Messiah's expedition. They were so earnest as not 
to stay to form themselves into regular order, but were poured numberless 
about his chariot. So in Virg. JEn. i. 214, " Fusi per herbam." — P. 

206-7. Harmonious : On golden hinges moving harmonious so'.:nd. Mao- 



BOOK VII. 301 

The King of Glory in his pow'rful Word 
And Spirit coming to create new worlds. 

On heav'nly ground they stood, and from the shore 210 

They view'd the vast immeasurable abyss 
Outrageous as a sea, dark, wasteful, wild, 
Up from the bottom turn'd by furious winds 
And surging waves, as mountains, to assault 
Heaven's height, and with the centre mix the pole. 215 

Silence, ye troubled waves, and thou deep, peace, 

ing has the sense of producing, as in III. 37 : '' Thoughts move harmonious 
numbers." The infernal doors gave out a very different music (II. 881) : 

'• and jarring sound 

The infernal doors, and on their hinges grate 
Harsh thunder." &c. 

209. To create, fyc. : In the first verse of Genesis we are assured of this 
grand truth, unknown to ages and to generations, that the visible heavens 
and the earth did not exist from all eternity, nor arose from accidental com- 
binations of pre-existing matter, but had their beginning from God. When- 
ever that beginning was in time, or whatever it was in form, that beginning 
was God's creative act. The material of the world was not eternal, as 
some had dreamed, but was, in its beginning, however remote, the work of 
God. The object of this revelation, then, being simply to record, for man's 
instruction, how the earth assumed its present goodly frame, and acquired its 
present inhabitants, nothing is said of its intermediate condition, in which it 
may have lain during long ages ; but the inspired writer goes on to state 
that, previous to its existing organization, it lay, and had probably for a long 
time lain, " without form and void," a dark and empty confusion, and that 
this was of a watery nature. — K. 

Milton introduces many antiquated notions, especially that of a universal 
Chaos. Compare notes on lines 894, 905, 906, 1029, Book II. 

210-31. On heavenly ground, c/c. : I do not know anything in the whole 
poem more sublime than the description which follows, where the Messiah 
is represented at the head of his angels, as looking down into the Chaos, 
calming its confusion, riding into the midst of it, and drawing the first out- 
line of the creation. — A. 

215. And with the centre mix the pole : In Chaos was neither centre, nor 
pole, nor mountains 12141 ; the angel does not say there were ; he tells Adam 
there was such confusion in Chaos, as if on earth the sea, in mountainous waves, 
should rise from its very bottom to assault Heaven, and mix the centre of 
the globe with the extremities of it. — R. 

216. Silence, ye troubled, &fc. : How much does the brevity of the command 
add to the sublimity and majesty of it ! It is the same kind of beauty that 



302 PARADISE LOST. 

Said then th' ornnific Word ; your discord end ! 

Nor stay'd, but on the wings of Cherubim 

Uplifted, in paternal glory rode 

Far into Chaos, and the world unborn ; 220 

For Chaos heard his voice : hiui all his train 

Follow'd in bright procession, to behold 

Creation, and the wonders of his might. 

Then stay'd the fervid wheels, and in his hand 

He took the golden compasses, prepared 225 

In God's eternal store, to circumscribe 

This universe, and all created things. 

One foot he center'd, and the other turn'd 

Round through the vast profundity obscure, 

And said, Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds, 230 

This be thy just circumference, world ! 

Longinus admires in the Mosaic history of the creation. It is of the same 
strain with the same omnific Word's calming the tempest, in the Gospel, when 
he said to the raging sea, " Peace, be still'' Mark iv. 39. And how elegantly 
has he turned the commanding words silence and peace, making one the first 
and the other the last in the sentence, and thereby giving the greater force 
and emphasis to both ; and how nobly has he concluded the line with a 
spondee, or foot of two long syllables, which is not a common measure in 
this place, but when used it necessarily occasions a slower pronunciation, 
and thereby fixes more the attention of the reader. — N. 

217. Omnific: All-creating. 

220. Chaos : Regions of Chaos. 

224. Fervid : Hor. Od. i. 1 : 4 : 

" Metaque fervidis 
Evitata rotis.' 1 

225. Golden compasses : The thought of the golden compasses is conceived 
altogether in Homer's spirit, and is a very noble incident in this wonderful 
description. Homer, when he speaks of the gods, ascribes to them several 
arms and instruments, with the same greatness of imagination. Let the 
reader only peruse the description of Minerva's aegis or buckler, in the Fifth 
Book, with her spear, which would overturn whole squadrons, and her hel- 
met that was sufficient to cover an army drawn out of a hundred cities. The 
golden compasses, in the above-mentioned passage, appear a very natural in- 
strument in the hand of him whom Plato somewhere calls the Divine 
Geometrician. As poetry delights in clothing abstract ideas in allegories and 
sensible images, we find a magnificent description of the creation, formed 
after the same manner, in the Hebrew Scriptures. — A. 



book vn. 303 

Thus God the Heav'n created, thus the Earth, 
Matter uuform'd and void. Darkness profound 
Cover'd th' abyss ; but on the wat'ry calm 
His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread, 235 

And vital virtue infused and vital warmth 
Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purged 
The black tartareous cold infernal dregs 
Adverse to life : then founded, then conglobed 
Like things to like, the rest to sev'ral place 240 

Disparted, and between spun out the air ; 
And Earth, self-balanced, on her centre hung. 
Let there be light, said God : and forthwith light 

232. The reader will naturally remark how exactly Milton copies Moses 
in his account of the creation. This Seventh Book may be called a sort ol 
paraphrase upon the first chapter of Genesis. Milton not only observes the 
same series and order, but preserves, as far as he can, the very words, as we 
may see in this and other instances. — N. 

233. Unformed and void : Gen. i. 2. 

235. Milton here follows the original Hebrew more closely than the com- 
mon translation does. 

239. Founded: Moulded. Conglobed: United 

240. Like things, Sfc. : 

" Bift'ugere hide loci partes ccepere. paresque 
Cum paribus jungi res," &c. 

Lucrel. v. 438. 

243. Let there be light : Milton endeavours to give some account how light 
was created the first day, when the sun was not formed till the fourth day. 
He says that it was " spher'd in a radiant cloud," and so journey' d round the 
earth in a cloudy tabernacle; and herein he is justified by the authority of 
some commentators; though others think this light was the light of the sun, 
which shone as yet very imperfectly, and did not appear in full lustre till 
the fourth day. — N. 

The changes of day and night, which are described as existing before tl.e 
fourth day. could not have existed without the sun, seeing that they depend 
on the earth's relation to that luminary. Geology concurs with Scripture in 
declaring the existence of the watery chaos previously to the era in which 
man, and his contemporary animals, received their being. The earth then 
existed as the wreck of an anterior creation, with all its previous and 
interim arrangements and fossil remains; but strangely convulsed and frac- 
tured, submerged in water, and enshrouded in darkness. Thus it lay, pro- 
bably for an immense period ; life was extinct; but matter continued subject 



304 PARADISE LOST. 

Ethereal first of things, quintessence pure, 

Sprung from the deep, and from her native east 245 

To journey through the aery gloom began, 

Sphered in a radiant cloud ; for yet the sun 

Was not : she in a cloudy tabernacle 

Sojourn'd the while. God saw the light was good ; 

And light from darkness by the hemisphere 250 

Divided : light the Day, and darkness Night 

He named. Thus was the first day ev'n and morn 

Nor past uncelebrated, nor unsung 

By the celestial choirs, when orient light 

to the same laws with which it had been originally endowed. The same 
attraction, the same repulsion, the same combination of forces, which, by 
the will of God, have ever been inherent in it, still existed. The sun, then, 
acting by its usual laws upon so vast a body of waters, gradually, in the 
continuous lapse of ages, drew up a prodigious mass of dense and dark 
vapours, which, held suspended in the atmosphere, threw a pall of blackest 
night around the globe. All things beneath it became invisible, and no ray 
of light could pierce the thick canopy of darkness. Layer upon layer, in 
almost infinite succession of closely-packed and darkling clouds, filled the 
atmosphere, and absorbed every particle of light long before it could reach 
the surface of earth ; and in the fullest extent was the language of Scrip- 
ture justified, that " darkness was upon the face of the deep." 

But when God saw fit, in the fulness of time, to commence the new 
creation, and prepare the desolate earth for the abode of man, this dense 
barrier which shut out the light, began, at his high word, to disperse, pre- 
cipitate, or break up, and to let in light upon the waters. It was not likely 
to be, nor was it necessary to be, a sudden change from the depth of utter 
darkness to the blaze of sunny day, but the letting in of light without sun- 
shine — the source of this light, the body of the sun, not becoming visible 
until the fourth day, when its full glory was disclosed, and when once more 
its beams shone through the purged atmosphere, upon mountains and valleys, 
and upon seas and rivers, as of old. — K. 

246. Journey the aery gloom : Pass through the obscure air. 

253. Nor past : Passed. The beauties of description lie so very thick, 
that it is almost impossible to enumerate them. The poet has employed on 
them the whole energy of our tongue. The several great scenes of the 
creation rise up to view one after another, in such a manner that the reader 
seems to be present at this wonderful work, and to assist among the choirs 
of angels who are the spectators of it. How glorious is the conclusion of 
the first day ! — A. 



BOOK VII. 305 

Exhaling first from darkness they heheld : 256 

Birth-day of Heav'n and Earth : with joy and shout 
The hollow universal orb they fill'd, 
And touch'd their golden harps, and hymning praised 
God and his works ; Creator him they sung, 
Both when first ev'ning was, and when first morn. 260 

Again, God said, let there be firmament 

255. Exhaling : Rising as vapour. 

256. Hollow universal orb : Orb of the universe, concave, and without in- 
habitant. Compare 267. 

261. Again, God said: The Mosaic account of the creation (which Mil- 
ton copies) is strictly anthropopathic, or in harmony with the feelings, views, 
and popular modes of expression which prevail in an early state of society, 
and which are always best adapted for universal use. Hence the collo- 
quial or dramatic style of the account. For example : And God said — not 
that there was any vocal utterance, where, as yet, there was no ear to hear 
(each of which would imply a corporeal structure) — let there be light — let there 
be a firmament — let the earth bring forth ; by which we are to understand that 
these effects were produced just as if such a fiat had been, in each instance, 
vocally uttered, and such a formula actually employed. The bare volitions 
of the Infinite Mind are deeds. 

In order to interpret the Mosaic cosmogony aright, another fact to be borne 
in mind is, that every visible object is spoken of. not according to its scien- 
tific character, but optically, or according to its appearance ; just as, with all 
our knowledge of the solar system, we speak, even in scientific works, of 
the sun as rising and setting. For example — Had there been an unscientific 
human spectator of the creative process, the atmosphere would have ap- 
peared to his eye as it does still to every untutored eye — a firm and solid 
expanse, sustaining the waters above. The sun and the moon would have 
appeared to be "two great lights" of nearly equal magnitude, compared with 
which all the astral systems deserved only that which is allotted to them 
— a passing word. The describer is supposed to occupy an earthly position, 
himself the centre of the universe. The earth is said to have brought forth 
grass, and the waters to have produced living creatures, though we are to 
believe that no creative power was delegated to the elements to produce 
them, but, that they were made in full perfection by the simple volition of 
Omnipotence ; but then, to a human looker-on, they would so appear to 
have been produced. And the fiat is said to have been issued, " Let the dry 
land appear,' 1 when there was no human eye to see it ; but had there been a 
spectator, it would have risen to his view as if such a command had been 
literally given. And if to this optical mode of description it be objected 
that as there was no human spectator, the account can only be received and 
interpreted as an allegorical representation, we reply that it is the very 

T 






306 PARADISE LOST. 

Amid the waters, and let it divide 

The waters from the waters. And God made 

The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure, 

Transparent, elemental air, diffused 265 

In circuit to the uttermost convex 

Of this great round : partition firm and sure, 

The waters underneath from those above 

Dividing : for as earth, so he the world 

Built on circumfluous waters calm, in wide 270 



method for answering its great design — that of being popularly intelligible ; 
and that the way in which it becomes both intelligible and vividly graphic, 
is by placing the reader, in imagination, in the position of a spectator. — 
Harris on "Man Primeval," 11. 12. 

Firmament: Kitto properly observes that the primary meaning of the 
Hebrew word (Gen. i. 7) thus translated is, expansion, outstretching, attenua- 
tion, elasticity, which are the very properties of our atmosphere ; but the 
word used by the Greek translators, together with the long-prevalent notion, 
that the material heavens formed a solid hemispheric arch, shining and pel- 
lucid, in which the stars were set, led subsequent translators to render the 
word by firmament. This word is, however, admissable, if by solidity is 
meant no more than that the fluid atmosphere has density or consistence 
sufficient to sustain the waters above it. 

It is, perhaps, not correct to say, as some do, that our atmosphere now 
first existed. The dense vapour which is supposed to have previously in- 
vested the earth, implies the existence of an atmosphere. But it now first, 
at this time, existed as a separating expanse ; and now divested of the gross 
murky particles with which it was charged, it became transparent and re- 
spirable — the medium of light and of life to the surface of the earth. 

The expanse is described as separating the waters from the waters. The 
historian speaks as things would have appeared to a spectator at the time of 
the creation. A portion of the heavy, watery vapour had flown into the 
upper regions, and rested there in dense clouds, which still obscured the 
sun ; while below, the whole earth was still covered with water, for the 
dry land had not yet appeared. Thus we see the exquisite propriety with 
which the firmament is said to have divided " the waters from the waters." 
— K. 

266. Convex : Convexity. Round : Orb (227) . 

269. World : By this word is here meant the entire organized universe, a> 
explained, Book II. 1029, in a note. This universal orb is represented as 
being surrounded by a crystalline ocean, which served the purpose of sepa- 
rating it from the disturbing forces of Chaos. 



BOOK VII. 307 

Crystalline ocean, and the loud misrule 

Of Chaos far removed, lest fierce extremes 

Contiguous might distemper the whole frame ; 

And Heav'n he named the Firmament. So ev'n 

And morning chorus sung the second day. 275 

The earth was form'd, but in the womb as yet 
Of waters, embryon immature involved, 
Appear'd not. Over all the face of th' earth 
Main ocean flow'd, not idle, but with warm 
Prolific humour soft'ning all her globe, 280 

Fermented the great mother to conceive, 
Satiate with genial moisture, when God said, 
Be gather'd now, ye waters under Heav'n, 
Into one place, and let dry land appear. 

Immediately the mountains huge appear 285 

Emergent, and their broad bare backs upheave 
Into the clouds ; their tops ascend the sky : 
So high as heaved the tumid hills, so low 
Down sunk a hollow bottom broad and deep, 
Capacious bed of waters : thither they 290 

Hasted with glad precipitance, uproll'd 
As drops on dust conglobing from the dry ; 
Part rise in crystal wall, or ridge direct, 
For haste : such flight the great command impress'd 

277. Embryon immature : The earth, that is, the land, had not yet been 
brought to light : it was still enwrapped in the ocean of waters. To use the 
figure here employed, it was not yet born. 

281. Fermented: Excited. 

284. This act of creative power must, to be thus immediate, have been 
attended by a tremendous convulsion of the exterior portions of the globe, 
upheaving certain portions of the land, and, of course, depressing others 
thereby leaving vast hollows, into which the waters, diffused over the 
earth's surface, receded, and within which they were confined. Most sub- 
limely does Milton describe, in the following lines, the immediate effect of 
the Divine command, which the third day heard. — K. 

Newton has called attention to the beautiful numbers in the following lines, 
and finely observed, that they seem to rise with the rising mountains, and to 
Bink again with the falling waters. 

292. Conglobing : Forming themselves into spherical masses 



308 PARADISE LOST. 

On the swift floods. As armies at the call 295 

Of trumpet (for of armies thou hast heard) 

Troop to their standard, so the wat'ry throng, 

Wave rolling after wave, where way they found ; 

If steep, with torrent rapture ; if through plain, 

Soft-ebbing ; nor withstood them rock or hill, 300 

But they, or under ground, or circuit wide 

With serpent error, wand'ring found their way, 

And on the washy ooze deep channels wore ; 

Easy, ere Grod had bid the ground be dry, 

All but within those banks, where rivers now 305 

Stream, and perpetual draw their humid train. 

The dry land, Earth, and the great receptacle 

Of congregated waters he calPd Seas : 

And saw that it was good, and said, Let th' earth 

Put forth the verdant grass, herb yielding seed, 310 

And fruit-tree yielding fruit after her kind, 

299. Rapture : Rapidity and violence. 
303. Washy ooze : Watery, soft mud. 

306. Draw, fyc. : The rivers are imagined as persons of quality drawing 
the train of their robes after them. 

310-27. Put forth the verdant grass, fyc. : The rising of the whole vege- 
table world is here described; the description being filled with all the 
graces that other poets have lavished on their descriptions of the spring, and 
leading the reader's imagination into a theatre equally surprising and beau- 
tiful.— A. 

311. Fruit-tree yielding fruit : Not only is the language of the Mosaic 
cosmogony popular, and that of a supposed witness (see note on 261) ; it re- 
lates specifically to the race of man. Besides being prepared for man, it 
concerns itself chiefly, if not exclusively, with what belongs to him. Of 
the creation of angels nothing is said. Respecting the starry heavens a 
brief clause is employed; for what are they all to man, in his present state, 
compared with the sun, which makes his day, the moon which rules his 
night, and the earth on which he dwells ? In the account of the vegetable 
creation, no mention is made of timber-trees, the giants of the botanical 
kingdom ; the history is confined to the production of grasses, or food for 
cattle ; to herbs, or grain and leguminous plants for his own use, and to 
fruit-bearing trees ; all relating, directly or indirectly, to the wants and con- 
veniences of mankind. Nor does the account of the animal creation contain 
a hint in reference to the production of stationary beings, or of microscopic 
anin.alcules, though these form numerically the vast majority of animal ex- 



BOOK VII. 309 

Whose seed is in herself upon the earth. 

He scarce had said, when the bare earth, till then 

Desert and bare, unsightly, unadorn'd, 

Brought forth the tender grass, whose verdure clad 315 

Her universal face with pleasant green ; 

Then herbs of every leaf, that sudden flow'r'd 

Opening their various colours, and made gay 

Her bosom smelling sweet : and these scarce blown, 

Forth flourish 'd thick the clust'ring vine, forth crept 320 

The smelling gourd, upstood the corny reed 

Embattled in her field, and th' humble shrub, 

And bush with frizzled hair implicit. Last 

Rose, as in dance, the stately trees, and spread 

Their branches, hung with copious fruit, or gemm'd 325 

Their blossoms : with high woods the hills were crown'd, 

With tufts the valleys, and each fountain side, 

With borders long the rivers : that earth now 

Seem'd like to Heav'n, a seat where Gods might dwell, 

istences. The history relates to the familiarly known, the visible, and the 
useful among animals. Man himself is described as created last; plainly in- 
timating that all which had gone before was only a means of which he was 
to be the subordinate end. If the creation itself, then, be thus designed to 
subserve his welfare, it is only in harmony with this fact, that the account 
of the creation should be given in a style so familiar as to be easily under- 
stood by him, in a manner so graphic as to make him present, and to paint 
it to his eye ; and that it should confine itself chiefly to that which more 
immediately concerns him. — Harris, " Man Primeval," 13, 14. 
317. Herbs: (Brought forth) herbs. 

321. Smelling gourd: Bentley and Newton prefer to read it swelling 
gourd. 

Corny : Strong and stiff like a horn, Virg. JEn. iii. 22 : 
" Quo cornea summo 
Virgulta. et densis hastilibus horrida rayrtus." 

322. Embattled : Arranged as for battle. 

323. Implicit : Infolded, intangled. 

325. Gemm'd : Put forth. 328. That : So that. 

329. In this, as in other parts of his description of the work ot creation, 
Milton owes much to Du Bartas, whose curious work, in the excellent trans- 
lation of John Sylvester (time of James L), scarcely deserves the neglect 
into which it has fallen. But Milton's hand turns to gold whatever it 



310 PARADISE LOST. 

Or wander with delight, and love to haunt 330 

Her sacred shades. Though God had yet not rain'd 

Upon the earth, and man to till the ground 

None was, but from the earth a dewy mist 

Went up and water'd all the ground, and each 

Plant of the field, which, ere it was in th' earth 335 

God mado, and ev'ry herb, before it grew 

On the green stem : God saw that it was good : 

So ev'n and morn recorded the third day. 

Again the Almighty spake, Let there be Lights 
High in the expanse of Heaven, to divide 3-10 

The day from night : and let them be for signs, 
For seasons, and for days, and circling years ; 
And let them be for lights, as I ordain 
Their office in the firmament of Heav'n, 

To give light on the earth : and it was so. ~>45 

And God made two great lights, great for their use 

touches ; and here we have set before us, with wonderful skill, the f. ..<nce 
of many pages of Du Bartas. — K. 

338. Recorded: Registered, announced. 

346. To give light, fyc. : It is a very strong argument against the theory 
which assigns long ages to the "days" of Scripture, that the rays ot the 
sun did not shine upon the earth until the fourth day ; for if each day were 
a thousand or six thousand years, as some suppose, the vegetation ot the 
world would have been left without that direct light and heat of the sun, 
which is essential to most of the forms of vegetable existence. It is clear 
that the plants to which the voice of God had given life, could not have ma- 
tured their products, or maintained their being, had not the solar action been 
very shortly after produced. We have, in this, indeed, a reason for the ad- 
mission of the solar influence next after the creation of the green herb. — K. 

346. Made two great lights : God made them, not in the sense of theu 
creating them, but he made them answer the purpose immediately specified, 
namely, to rule by day and by night. In the Hebrew, the word which is 
thus translated, is a different word from that translated by the word 
" created." It signifies, as in many other passages of Scripture, to appoint, 
or prepare, for a particular use. The objection to this view has been, that it 
really assigns no specific work of creation to the fourth day, but simply the 
work of clearing away the mist, clouds, and vapours, and thus rendering the 
sun and moon visible; but the same objection would lie against the work of 
the second day. as we have explained it. and to a considerable part of the 



book vn. 311 

To Man ; the greater to have rule by day, 

The less by night altern ; and made the stars 

And set them in the firmament of Heav'n 

T' illuminate the earth, and rule the day 350 

In their vicissitude, and rule the night, 

And light from darkness to divide. God saw, 

Surveying his great work, that it was good : 

For, of celestial bodies, first the sun, 

A mighty sphere, he framed, unlightsome first, 355 

Though of ethereal mould : then form'd the moon 

Globose, and ev'ry magnitude of stars, 

And sow'd with stars the Heav'n thick as a field : 

Of light by far the greater part he took, . 

Transplanted from her cloudy shiine, and placed 360 

In the sun's orb, made porous to receive 

And drink the liquid light, firm to retain 

Her gather'd beams, great palace now of light. 

Hither, as to their fountain, other stars 

work of the third day. Kitto has remarked upon this suhject, that the sun 
and moon appearing for the first time, and, of course, as new creations, they 
would be described as such, in the same phraseology that has before been 
used ; and that it is by no means necessary to understand the sacred writer 
as asserting the creation of the heavenly bodies on that day, but only their 
development on that day as adapted to the purposes intended, the creation 
of them having previously taken place. Milton's theory (359-366) , is very 
different — quite poetical, indeed, but destitute of the countenance and support 
of modern science. 

347. As the days are reckoned from evening to evening, the moon must 
first have shone, and subsequently the sun. If man had then existed on the 
earth (says Kitto) the appearance of the " pale regent of the night" would 
have prepared his mind and his eye for the glory of that " greater light" 
which the day was to disclose. 

348. Jlltern: Alternate, in succession. 
360. Shrine : Case, or enclosure. 

361-62. Porous, yet firm : Milton seems to have taken this thought from 
what is said of the Bologna stone, which, being placed in the light, will im- 
bibe, and for some time, retain it, so as to illuminate a dark place. — R. 

362. Liquid : Lucret. v. 282 : 

" Largus itom liijuidi ions tuviinis sthereus sol." 

364. Other stars ; The planets are meant. Their coming to the sun as a 



312 PARADISE LOST. 

Repairing, in their golden urns draw light, 365 

And hence the morning planet gilds her horns ; 

By tincture or reflection they augment 

Their small peculiar, though for human sight 

So far remote, with diminution seen. 

First in his east the glorious lamp was seen, 370 

Regent of day, and all th' horizon round 

Invested with bright rays jocund to run 

His longitude through Heav'n's high road. The grey 

Dawn and the Pleiades before him danced, 

Shedding sweet influence. Less bright the moon, 375 

But opposite in levell'd west was set 

fountain for their light, is a highly poetical idea, and not to be literally un- 
derstood as conveying a philosophical explanation of the matter. 

368. Peculiar : Exclusive or independent property. 

370-84. First in his east, fyc. : The several glories of the heavens make 
their appearance on the fourth day. One would wonder how the poet could 
be so concise in his description of the six days' work, as to comprehend 
them within the bounds of an episode, and, at the same time, so particular 
as to give us a lively idea of them. This is still more remarkable in his 
account of the fifth and sixth days, in which he has drawn out to our view 
the whole animal creation, from the reptile to the Behemoth. The sixth 
day concludes with the formation of man, upon which the angel takes occa- 
sion, as he did after the battle in Heaven, to remind Adam of his obedience, 
which was the principal design of this visit. — A. 

372. Longitude : Degrees of longitude ; the sun's course from east to west, 
III. 576; Ps. xix. 5. 

373. The gray dawn, §c. : These are beautiful images, and very much re- 
semble the famous picture of the morning by Guido, where the Sun is repre- 
sented in his chariot, with the Aurora flying before him shedding flowers, 
and seven beautiful nymph-like figures dancing before and about his chariot, 
which are commonly taken for the Hours, but possibly may be the Pleiades, 
as they are seven in number, and it is not easy to assign a reason why the 
Hours should be signified by that number particularly. 

The Pleiades are seven stars in the neck of the constellation Taurus, which 
rise about the time of the vernal equinox. In saying, therefore, that the 
Pleiades danced before the sun at his creation, the poet intimates very 
plainly that the creation was in the spring, according to the common opinion, 
Virg. Georg. ii. 338, &c. See also Job xxxviii. 31, for the origin of " shed- 
ding sweet influence." — N. 

376. Levell'd west : Western horizon. 



BOOK VII. 313 

His mirror, with full face borrowing her light 

From him, for other light she needed none 

In that aspect ; and still that distance keeps 

Till night, then in the east her turn she shines, 380 

Revolved on Heav'n's great axle ; and her reign 

With thousand lesser lights dividual holds, 

With thousand thousand stars, that then appear'd 

Spangling the hemisphere. Then first adorn'd 

With her bright luminaries that set and rose, 385 

Glad ev'ning and glad morn crown'd the fourth day. 

And God said, Let the waters generate 
Reptile with spawn abundant, living soul : 
And let fowl fly above the earth, with wings 
Display'd on th' open firmament of Heav'n. 390 

And God created the great whales, and each 
Soul living, each that crept, which plenteously 
The waters generated by their kinds, 
And evYy bird of wing after his kind ; 

And saw that it was good, and bless'd them, saying, 395 

Be fruitful, multiply, and in the seas, 
And lakes, and running streams, the waters fill; 
And let the fowl be multiply'd on th' earth. 
Forthwith the sounds and seas, each creek and bay 
With fry innumerable swarm, and shoals 400 

377. His mirror : The moon is here beautifully described as the mirror of 
the sun. 

379. Jlspict : Relation, position 

383. Dividual: Divided. 

387-88. Let the waters generate, fyc. : Milton scarcely anywhere, in so nar- 
row a compass, indicates his profound knowledge of biblical lore, as in this 
version he has given of the first clause of the Divine mandate uttered on 
the fifth day of creation. He knew that the word translated " moving crea- 
ture," was not "moving" or "creeping" (as elsewhere rendered), but 
rapidly multiplying, or " swarming creatures ;" in short, it is applied to all 
kinds of living creatures, inhabiting the waters, which are oviparous, and re- 
markable for fecundity, as we know is eminently the case with the finny 
tribes. In other passages of Scripture it is applied even to the smaller land 
animals and reptiles noted for their swarming abundance. — K. 

388-92. Soul: Creature. 
14 



314 PARADISE LOST. 

Of fish that with their fins and shining scales 

Glide under the green wave, in sculls that oft 

Bank the mid-sea : part single or with mate 

Graze the sea-weed their pasture, and through groves 

Of coral stray or sporting with quick glance, 405 

Shew to the sun their waved coats dropt with gold, 

Or in their pearly shells at ease, attend 

Moist nutriment, or under rocks their food 

In jointed armour watch. On smooth the seal, 

And bended dolphins play : part huge of bulk 410 

Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait, 

Tempest the ocean ; there leviathan, 

Hugest of living creatures, on the deep 

Stretch'd like a promontory, sleeps or swims, 

And seems a moving land, and at his gills 415 

Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea. 

Meanwhile the tepid caves, and fens, and shores 

Their brood as num'rous hatch, from th' egg that soon 

Bursting with kindly rupture forth disclosed 

Their callow young, but feather'd soon and fledge 420 

402-3. Sculls that oft bank, fyc. : Multitudes that often appear like banks 
in mid-sea. 

404. Groves of coral : It was an opinion, in Milton's time, that coral was 
a marine plant ; hence the expression here quoted: but it is now known to 
be the production of marine animalcul e, and holds a place in the mineral 
kingdom among the most beautiful of its objects. 

408. Attend: Wait for. 

409. On smooth the seal, fyc. : The seal, or sea-calf, and the dolphin are 
observed to sport on smooth seas in calm weather. The dolphin is called 
bended, simply because he forms an arch by leaping out of the water, and in- 
stantly dropping into it again with his head foremost. Ovid therefore de- 
scribes him tergo delphino recurvo. and his sportive nature is alluded to by 
Virgil, JEn. v. 594.— N. 

410-416. Part huge of bulk, §c. : In this passage the language finely im- 
itates in sound the ideas which are expressed — hugeness of size and difficulty 
of motion. The imitation arises from the want of harmony in the numbers. 
— C. 

412. Tempest : A most expressive word, from the Italian tempestan: 
420. Callow : Naked. Fledge : Able to fly. 



BOOK VII. 315 

The}' summ'd their pens, and soaring the air sublime, 

With clang despised the ground, under a cloud 

In prospect : there the eagle and the stork 

On cliffs and cedar tops their eyries build : 

Part loosely wing the region, part more wise 425 

In common, ranged in figure, wedge their way, 

Intelligent of seasons, and set forth 

Their aery caravan high over seas 

Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing, 

Easing their flight ; so steers the prudent crane 430 

Her annual voyage, borne on winds ; the air 

Floats as they pass, fann'd with unnumber'd plumes. 

From branch to branch the smaller birds with song 

Solaced the woods, and spread their painted wings 

Till ev'n, nor then the solemn nightingale 435 

421. Summ'd their pens : Had their quills matured, or full-grown. 

423. Under a cloud in prospect : The ground, to the eye appeared under a 
cloud, being shaded by the multitude of birds. 

424. Eyries : Nests ; Job xxxix. 27, 28. 

425. Loosely : Scatteringly. 

426. Wedge their way : The author of Spectacle de la Nature, says, " As to 
wild ducks and cranes they fly, at the approach of winter, in quest of more 
favourable climates. They all assemble at a certain day, like swallows and 
quails. They decamp at the same time, and it is very agreeable to observe 
their flight. They generally range themselves in a long column like an I, 
or in two lines united in a point like a >• reversed. And so as Milton here 
§ays: 

''• ranged in figure wedge their way." 

The duck or quail that forms the point, cuts the air, and facilitates a pas- 
sage to those which follow. He does this for a short time, then falls back 
i i the rear, and another takes his post. And thus, as Milton says, 

" with mutual wing 

Easing their flight." 

429. With mutual wing : With each others wing. 
431. Mr: Compare ^Esch. Prom. V. 125. 

434. Solaced the woods : A poetic idea. The woods are personified. See 
Virg. JEn. vii. 32 : 

' : jEthera mulcebant cantu." 

T. 

435. The solemn nightingale : Milton's fondness for this little bird is vt rv 



316 PARADISE LOST. 

Ceased warbling, but all night, tuned her soft lays : 

Others on silver lakes and rivers bathed 

Their downy breast. The swan with arched neck 

Between her white wings mantling proudly rows 

Her state with oary feet ; yet oft they quit 440 

The dank, and rising on stiff pennons tow'r 

The mid aerial sky : others on ground 

Walk'd firm ; the crested cock, whose clarion sounds 

The silent hours, and th' other whose gay train 

Adorns him, coloured with the florid hue 445 

Of rainbows and starry eyes. The waters thus 

With fish replenish'd, and the air with fowl 

Ev'ning and morn solemnized the fifth day. 5 

The sixth, and of creation last, arose 
With ev'ning harps and matin, when God said, 450 

Let th' earth bring forth soul living in her kind, 
Cattle and creeping things, and beast of th' earth, 
Each in their kind. The earth obey'd ; and straight 
Opening her fertile womb, teem'd at a birth 
Innum'rous living creatures, perfect forms, 455 

Limb'd and full grown. Out of the ground up rose 
As from his lair the wild beast, where he wons 
In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den ; 
Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walk'd : 

remarkable, being expressed on every proper occasion. He compares (III. 
37) his own making verses in his blindness, to the nightingale singing in the 
dark. In IV. 598, a charming account is given of her music. She is intro- 
duced in IV. 539, 771 ; V. 38 ; VIII. 519. So in II Penseroso, a more par- 
ticular description is furnished ; the first of his sonnets is addressed to this 
favourite bird. 

438. Arched neck : This beauty of the swan has been overlooked by the 
ancient poets in their frequent descriptions of the swan. Mantling: Her 
wings are raised and spread as a mantle, with apparent pride. Her state : 
Her majesty, her stately form. 

441. Dank: Wet. 

450. Matin: Morning. 

451. Soul living: This is a more literal translation of the Hebrew than 
in our English Bible, which reads living creature. 

457. Wons: Dwells. 



BOOK VII. 317 

The cattle in the fields and meadows green : 460 

Those rare and solitary, these in flocks, 

Past'ring at once, and in broad herds upsprung. 

The grassy clods now calv'd ; now half appsar'd 

The tawny lion, pawing to get free 

His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds, 465 

And rampant shakes his brinded mane : the ounce, 

The libbard, and the tiger, as the mole 

Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw 

In hillocks : the swift stag from under ground 

Bore up his branching head ; scarce from his mould 470 

Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved 

His vastness ; fleeced the flocks and bleating rose, 

461. Those rare, fyc. : Those refers to the wild beasts (457); these to the 
tame — the cattle ; and it is a very signal act of Providence, that there are 
so few of the former sort, and so many of the latter, for the service of 
man — N. 

463. Calved : Brought forth animals, not those of the cow kind only. In 
Job xxxix. 1, hinds are said to calve, also in Ps. xxix. 9. Milton supposes 
the beasts to rise out of the earth in perfect forms, limb'd, and full-grown, 
as Raphael had painted this subject before in the Vatican ; and he describes 
their manner of rising in figures and attitudes, and in numbers too, suited to 
their various natures. — N. 

466. Rampant : Rearing upon the hinder feet. Brinded mane : Mane of 
various colours, spotted. 

467. Libbard: Leopard. 

472. His vastness : The numbers are excellent, and admirably express the 
heaviness and unwieldiness of the elephant, which Milton plainly means. 
Bihemoth and leviathan are two creatures described in the Book of Job, sup- 
posed by ciitics to be the river-horse and the crocodile, though Milton, with 
the concurrence of many earlier interpreters, considered them to indicate the 
elephant and the whale. Behemoth, biggest born: The alliteration is re 
markable, all the words beginning with the same letter. Another instance 
of alliteration we had (286), in the production of the mountains: 

" and their broad bare backs upheave 

Into the clouds." 

The labour of the lines containing these alliterations, appears greater in 
contrast with the ease of the following measures which describe the lesser 
animals springing as lightly and as thick as plants : 

" fleee'd the flocks and bleating rose, 

As plants." 



318 PARADISE LOST. 

As plants : ambiguous between sea and land 

The river-horse and scaly crocodile. 

At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, 475 

Insect or worm : those waved their limber fans 

For wings, and smallest lineaments exact 

In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride, 

With spots of gold and purple, azure and green : 

These as a line their long dimension drew, 4S0 

Streaking the ground with sinuous trace ; not all 

Minims of nature ; some of serpent kind, 

Wondrous in length and corpulence, involved 

Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept 

The parsimonious emmet, provident 485 

Of future, in small room large heart inclosed, 

Pattern of just equality perhaps 

Hereafter, join'd in her popular tribes 

Of commonalty : swarming next appear'd 

The female bee, that feeds her husband drone 490 

An example of the same kind of beauty is found in Virg. JEn. i. 61. — N. 

It is to be observed that the flocks rose from the ground fleeced, furnished 
with a fleece, and bleating ; were created in full perfection, as the plants 
were before them. 

474. River-horse, or hippopotamus, from its dwelling in rivers. 

478. Deck'd: A verb. And deck' 'd their smallest lineaments, &c. 

482. Minims of nature : The smallest beings of nature. It is supposed to 
be an allusion to the Latin Vulgate translation of Prov. xxx. 24, " Quatuor 
ista sunt minima terrje." 

484. Snaky folds : This is not tautology, as Bentley objects, because serpent 
(482) is a term more generic and comprehensive than snake, including all the 

creeping kind, of course many that are not snakes. Added wings : Had wings 
added to them. By a common poetic license, a creature is often said to do 
what, strictly, is done to it or for it. The serpent proper, that which more 
specially and eminently receives the name, is again mentioned (495) , and 
with particular exactness, on account, probably, of the important instrumen- 
tality it was destined to exert, in altering for the worse man's character, con- 
dition, and prospects. 

485. Provident : Hor. Sat. i. 1 : 35. 

486. Large heart : Virg. Georg. iv. 83. — N. 

490. That feeds her husband drone, fyc. : Of bees there are three sexual 
modifications, the prolific females, or queens ; the imperfect or unprolific fe- 



BOOK VII. 319 

Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells 

With honey stored. The rest are numberless, 

And thou their natures know'st, and gav'st them names 

Needless to thee repeated ; nor unknown 

The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field, 495 

Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes 

And hairy mane terrific, though to thee 

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call. 

Now Heav'n in all her glory shone, and roll'd 
Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand 500 

First wheel 'd their course ; earth in her rich attire 
Consummate lovely smiled ; air, water, earth, 
By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd 
Frequent ; and of the sixth day yet remain 'd ; 
There wanted yet the master-work, the end 505 

Of all yet done ; a creature who not prone 
And brute as other creatures, but endued 
With sanctity of reason, might erect 
His stature, and upright with front serene 
Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence 510 

Magnanimous to correspond with Heav'n, 

males, the workers ; and the males or drones. The swarm consists in general 
of about six thousand bees, of which about two hundred are males, the rest 
females, and of these one only, for the most part, is prolific, and she is called 
the queen. It is said that she condescends to wait upon the drones, her hus- 
bands, and to bring them honey, an idea which Milton has expressed. 

497. Hairy mane: Virgil, in like manner, attributes a mane to serpents 
JEn. ii. 206 : 

" . . .jubaque 
Sanguines exsuperant undas." 

N. 

505. There wanted yet, fyc. : The author here remembered and copied, as 
Newton supposes, Ovid, Met. i. 76. 

''Sanctius his animal, mentisque capacius altae 
Deeiat adhuc. et quod dominari in caetera posset — 
Finxit in effigiem moderanlum cuncta Deorum. 
Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram, 
Os homini sublime dedit ; calumque tueri 
Jussit, et erectos ad sideia tollere vultus." 

505. The end : That for which all previous acts of creation had been per- 
formed. 



320 PARADISE LOST. 

But grateful to acknowledge whence his good 

Descends ; thither with heart, and voice, and eyes 

Directed in devotion, to adore 

And worship God supreme, who made him chief 515 

Of all his works. Therefore th' Omnipotent 

Eternal Father (for where is not he 

Present ?) thus to his Son audibly spake : 

Let us make now Man in our image, Man 
In our similitude, and let them rule 520 

Over the fish and fowl of sea and air, 
Beast of the field, and over all the earth, 
And ev'ry creeping thing that creeps the ground. 
This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, Man, 
Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed 525 

The breath of life : in his own image he 
Created thee, in the image of God 
Express ; and thou becam'st a living soul. 
Male he created thee, but thy consort 

Female for race ; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530 

Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, 
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold 
Over fish of the sea, and fowl of th' air, 
And ev'ry living thing that moves on th' earth. 
Wherever thus created, for no place 535 

524—25. Adam, thee, O man. dust of the ground : The physiological truth is, 
that the human body is composed of the carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitro- 
gen, the lime and sulphur, iron, phosphorus, and some other substances, of the 
mineral kingdom. And although this fact could not have been known scien- 
tifically until modern chemistry disclosed it, the Mosaic history announced 
with unfaltering accent — " And the Lord God formed the man dust from the 
ground ;" aphar dust, denoting the sand, clay, lime, and common constituents 
of the general soil. And the same fact is commemorated in the name by 
which the father of mankind is known, for the verse just quoted is, literally 
rendered — " Jehovah Elohim formed the adam (or man) dust from the 
ad amah, or ground," the name being derived from the material of which the 
body was composed. And hence man is amenable to the laws of gravitation, 
mechanical force, chemical action, electricity, and light ; and much of his 
practical wisdom through life consists in conforming to them. — Harris, 
b Man Primeval," 22. 

535. On comparing Gen. ii. 8 with Gen. ii. 15, it appears that man was 



BOOK VII. 321 

Is yet distinct by name, thence, as thou know'st 
He brought thee into this delicious grove, 
This garden, planted, with the trees of God, 
Delectable both to behold and taste ; 

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food 540 

Gave thee ; all sorts are here that all th' earth yields, 
Variety without end ; but of the tree, 
Which, tasted, works knowledge of good and evil, 
Thou may'st not ; in the day thou eat'st, thou dy'st ; 
Death is the penalty imposed ; beware, 545 

And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin 
Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death. 
Here finish'd he, and all that he had made 
View'd, and behold all was entirely good ; 
So even and morn accomplish 'd the sixth day : 550 

Yet not till the Creator from his work 
Desisting, though unweary'd, up return'd, 
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high abode, 
Thence to behold this new-created world, 

Th' addition of his empire, how it shew'd 555 

In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair, 
Answ'ring his great idea. Up he rode, 

not created in the garden, but placed in it after his creation ; in correspondence 
with this fact, Milton says : 

" Wherever thus created," &o. 

548. View'd : The pause which occurs after this word is in fine taste ; as 
it serves to impress upon us the idea of the Creator's surveying with intense 
interest the wonders of creation, now completed. 

552-64. Up : This word frequently occurs, and with good effect in these 
lines. 

In some cases, says Dugald Stewart, it may perhaps be doubted, whethe 
Milton has not forced on the mind the image of literal height, somewhat more 
strongly than accords perfectly with the overwhelming sublimity which his 
subject derives from so many other sources. At the same time, who would 
venture to touch, with a profane hand, the verses now referred to, 552-64 ? 

Is it not probable that the impression produced by this association, strong 
as it still is, was yet stronger in ancient times ? The discovery of the earth's 
sphericity, and of the general theory of gravitation, has taught us that the 
words above and below have only a relative import. — Stewart's Works, 
vol. iv. 279-81, &c. 

14* U 



322 PARADISE LOST. 

Follow'd with acclamation, and the sound 

Symphonious of ten thousand harps, that tuned 

Angelic harmonies. The earth, the air 560 

Resounded (thou remember 'st, for thou heard'st) ; 

The Heav'ns, and all the constellations rung ; 

The planets in their station list'ning stood, 

While the bright pomp ascended jubilant. 

Open, ye everlasting gates, they sung ; 565 

Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors : let in 

The great Creator from his work return'd 

Magnificent, his six days' work, a world ; 

Open, and henceforth oft ; for God will deign 

To visit oft the dwellings of just men 570 

Delighted, and with frequent intercourse 

Thither will send his winged messengers 

On errands of supernal grace. So sung 

The glorious train ascending. He through Heav'n, 

That open'd wide her blazing portals, led 575 

To God's eternal house direct the way : 

A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold, 

And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear, 

Seen in the galaxy, that milky way, 

Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest 580 

Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh 

Ev'ning arose in Eden, for the sun 

Was set, and twilight from the east came on, 

Forerunning night ; when at the holy mount 

Of Heav'n's high-seated top, th' imperial throne 585 

Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure, 

The Filial Pow'r arrived, and sat him down 

With his great Father (for he also went 

Invisible) yet stay'd (such privilege 



563. Station: Position. It does not here, as Newton states, seem to be 
employed, in its technical sense, for that place in their orbits where they 
seem to go neither forwards nor backwards, but to remain stationary. 

565. This language is copied from the twenty-fourth Psalm, which was 
sung when the ark was carried into the temple on Mount Zion. 



book vii. 323 

Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd 590 

Author and End of all things, and from work 

Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the sev'nth day. 

As resting on that day from all his work, 

But not in silence holy kept : the harp 

Had work and rested not, the solemn pipe, 595 

And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop, 

All sounds on fret by string or golden wire, 

Tempcr'd soft tunings, intermix'd with voice 

Choral or unison : of incense clouds 

Fuming from golden censers hid the mount. 600 

Creation and the six days' acts they sung : 

Great are thy works, Jehovah ! infinite 

Thy pow'r ! What thought can measure thee, or tongue 

Relate thee ! Greater now in thy return 

Than from the giant Angels ! thee that day 605 

Thy thunders magnify'd ! but to create, 

Is greater than created to destroy. 

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound 

Thy empire ! Easily the proud attempt 

Of Spirits apostate and their counsels vain 610 

Thou hast repell'd, while impiously they thought 

Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw 

The number of thy worshippers. Who seeks 

To lessen thee, against his purpose serves 

597. Fret: A division, a cross, a finger-board, of the bass viol for exam- 
ple ; contrivance for varying sounds. 

.598. Tempered soft tunings : Produced soft sounds. 

599. Unison : Separate or solitary. 

602. Milton is generally truly orthodox. In this hymn the angels ir- 
timate the unity of the Son with the Father, singing to both as one God, 
Jehovah. — N. 

605. Giant angels : This epithet does not, as Dr. Pierce supposes, mean 
fierce and aspiring in temper, but is used in allusion to Hesiod's Giant War, 
and was probably designed, as Mr. Thyer supposes, to intimate the opinion 
of Milton, that the fictions of the Greek poets owed their rise to some un- 
certain clouded tradition of this real event, and that their giants were, if 
they had understood the story right, the fallen angels. 



324 PARADISE LOST. 

To manifest the more thy might : his evil 615 

Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good. 
Witness this new-made world, another Heav'n 
From Heav'n-gate not far, founded in view 
On the clear Hyaline, the glassy sea : 

Of amplitude almost immense, with stars 620 

Num'rous, and ev'ry star perhaps a world 
Of destined habitation ; but thou know'st 
Their seasons : among these the seat of Men, 
Earth with her nether ocean circumfused, 

Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy Men, 625 

And sons of Men, whom God hath thus advanced, 
Created in his image, there to dwell 
And worship him, and in reward to rule 
Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air, 

And multiply a race of worshippers 630 

Holy and just ! thrice happy if they know 
Their happiness, and persevere upright ! 
So sung they, and the empyrean rung 
With Halleluiahs. Thus was Sabbath kept. 
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd 635 

How first this world and face of things began, 
And what before thy memory was done 
From the beginning, that posterity 
Inform 'd by thee might know ; if else thou seek'st 
Aught, not surpassing human measure, say. 640 

619. Hyaline: Interpreted by the words that follow; Rev. iv. 6. 

621. Perhaps a world, fyc. : Milton was not willing to make the angel 
assert positively that every star is a world designed to be inhabited, and 
therefore adds, perhaps, this notion of the plurality of worlds being not so 
well established in those days as in these. — N. 

624. Nether: Lower ocean, in distinction from the waters in the atmos- 
phere, or " above the firmament." 

631. Thrice happy, §c. : Virg. Georg. ii. 458 : 

" O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona ndrint." 

N. 



BOOK VIII. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Adam inquires concerning celestial motions ; is doubtfully answered, and 
exhorted to search rather things more worthy of knowledge ; Adam assents; 
and, still desirous to retain Raphael, relates to him what he remembered 
since his own creation; his placing in Paradise; his talk with God concern- 
ing solitude and fit society ; his first meeting and nuptials with Eve ; his 
discourse with the Angel thereupon ; who, after admonitions repeated, de- 
parts. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

No praise can be deemed too high for this Eighth Book of Paradise Lost. 
We are filled with the most delightful astonishment when we read Milton's 
picture of the creation of Adam and Eve ; the beauty, the glow, the enthu- 
siasm, the rapture running through all the senses and all the veins ; the un- 
alloyed grandeur of the man, the celestial grace of the woman ; the majesty 
of his movements, the delicacy of hers; the inconceivable happiness of 
thoughts and words with which their admiration of each other is expressed ; 
the breaks, the turns of language, the inspired brilliance and flow of the 
strains, yet the inimitable chastity and transparence of the whole style, fill 
a sensitive reader with an unfeigned wonder and exaltation, which it would 
be vain to attempt adequately to record. 

The argumentative parts of the poem are as profound and excellent as 
those in the former Books. They are not, as Dryden has hinted, flat and 
unprofitable, but the reverse. They are exalted, closely argued, nakedly but 
vigorously expressed, sagacious, moral, instructive, comprehensive, deep in 
the knowledge of life, consolatory, and fortifying. Whoever supposes them 
unpoetical, has a narrow, mean conception of poetry : they are never out of 
place, but result from the leading characters of the poem ; they are quite 
as essential to it, even as its grand, or beautiful, and breathing imagery. — 
E. B. 



Of Adam and Eve it has been said, that the ordinary reader can feel little 
interest in them, because they have none of the passions, pursuits, or even 
relations of human life, except that of husband and wife, the least interest- 
ing of all others, if not to the parties concerned, at least to all by-standers. 
It is true there is little action in this part of Milton's poem ; but there is 
much repose and more enjoyment. There are none of the every-day occur- 
rences, contentions, disputes, wars, feuds, jealousies, trades, professions, and 
common handicrafts of life ; ' : no kind of traffic ; letters are not known ; no 
use of service, of riches, poverty, contract, &c. ; no treason, felony, sword, 



book vni. 327 

pike, knife, gun, nor need of any engine." So much the better : thank 
Heaven, all these were yet to come. But still in them our doom was 
sealed. 

In their first false step we trace all our future woe, with loss of Eden, 
but there was a short and precious interval between, like the first blush of 
morning before the day is overcast with tempest, the dawn of the world, 
the birth of nature, with its first dews and freshness on its cheek breathing 
odours. Theirs was the first delicious taste of life, and on them depended 
all that was to come of it. In them hung trembling all our hopes and fears. 
They were as yet alone in the world, in the eye of nature, wondering at 
their new being, full of enjoyment, and enraptured with one another, with 
the voice of their Maker walking in the garden, and ministering angels at- 
tendant on their steps, winged messengers from Heaven, like rosy clouds, de- 
scending in their sight. Was there nothing in this scene, which God and 
Nature alone witnessed, to interest a modern critic ? What need was there 
of action, where the heart was full of bliss and innocence without it? 

They stood awhile perfect, but they afterwards fell, and were driven out 
of Paradise, tasting the first fruits of bitterness as they had done of bliss. 
But their tears were " such as angels weep." The pathos is of that mild con- 
templative kind which arises from regret for the loss of unspeakable hap- 
piness, and resignation to inevitable fate. They had received their unlook- 
ed-for happiness as a free gift from their Creator's hands, and they submitted 
to its loss, not without sorrow, but without impious and stubborn repining. — 
Hazlitt. 



BOOK VIII. 



The Angel ended, and in Adam's ear 
So charming left his voice, that he awhile 
Thought him still speaking, still stood fix'd to hear ; 
Then, as new waked, thus gratefully reply 'd : 

What thanks sufficient, or what recompense 5 

Equal have I to render thee, divine 
Historian, who thus largely hast allay'd 
The thirst I had of knowledge, and vouchsafed 
This friendly condescension to relate 

Things else by me unsearchable, now heard 10 

With wonder, but delight, and, as is due, 

2. So charming, $c. : Imitated probably from Apollonius, i. 512, who ele- 
gantly describes the effect which the harp and voice of Orpheus had upon 
the Argonauts. When Orpheus had ended his song, they, says the poet, in- 
tent and bending towards him, still listened, and imagined him speaking. — 
Jortin. , 

3. Still stood, fyc: Stood from stava (Italian) remained, continued; not 
that Adam was in a standing posture — probably he sat as at dinner, V. 433. 
His great attention, and not his attitude, is described. — R. 

5. What thanks, &fc. : The accounts which Raphael gives of the battle of 
the angels and the creation of the world, have in them those qualifications 
which the critics judge requisite to an episode : they are nearly related to 
the principal action, and have a just connection with the fable. 

This Book opens with a beautiful description of the impression which this 
discourse of the archangel made on our first parents Adam afterwards, by 
a very natural curiosity, inquires concerning the motions of those celestial 
bodies which make the most glorious appearance among the six days' work. 
—A. 



book viii. 329 

With glory attributed to the High 

Creator ? Something yet of doubt remains, 

Which only thy solution can resolve. 

When I behold this goodly frame, this world, 15 

Of Heav'n and Earth consisting, and compute 

Their magnitudes ; this earth, a spot, a grain, 

An atom, with the firmament compared 

And all her number'd stars, that seem to roll 

Spaces incomprehensible (for such 20 

Their distance argues, and their swift return 

Diurnal) merely to officiate light 

Round this opacous earth, this punctual spot, 

One day and night, in all their vast survey 

Useless besides ; reasoning I oft admire 25 

How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit 

Such disproportions, with superfluous hand 

So many nobler bodies to create, 

Greater, so manifold to this one use, • 

12. Attributed : Accent the third syllable. 

13. Doubt: Uncertainty or difficulty. 

15. Milton, after having given so noble an idea of the creation of this 
new world, takes a most proper occasion to show the two great systems, 
usually called the Ptolemaic and the Copernican — one making the earth, the 
other the sun, to be the centre ; and this he does by introducing Adam pro- 
posing very judiciously the difficulties that occur in the first, and which was 
the system most obvious to him. The reply of the angel touches on the 
expedients which the Ptolemaics invented to solve those difficulties and to 
patch up their system, and withal the noble improvements of the new philo- 
sophy ; not, however, determining for one or the other, but, on the contrary, 
he exhorts our progenitor to apply his thoughts rather to what more nearly 
concerns him, and is within his reach. — R. 

1 9. Numbered : By the Creator only, Ps. cxlvii. 4. The word may here 
mean numerous; VIII. 620, '' With stars numerous." 

20. Spaces: (Through) spaces. 

22. Diurnal : Notions borrowed from the appearance. 

23. Punctual spot : A spof no larger than a point, when compared with 
the fixed stars. 

28. So many nobler, 6,-c. : As if he had said, so many nobler, so many greater ; 
but he turns the order of the words : so many nobler, greater so many, the 
word manifold being used instead of many, for the sake of the verse. — N. 



330 PARADISE LOST. 

For aught appears, and on their orhs impose 30 

Such restless revolution, day by day 

Repeated, while the sedentary earth, 

That better might with far less compass move, 

Served by more noble than herself, attains 

Her end without least motion, and receives 35 

As tribute, such a sumless journey brought 

Of incorporeal speed, her warmth and light ; 

Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails. 

So spake our sire, and by his count'nance seem'd 
Ent'ring on studious thoughts abstruse ; which Eve 40 

Perceiving where she sat retired in sight, 
With lowliness majestic from her seat, 
And grace that won who saw to wish her stay, 
Rose, and went forth among her fruits and flow'rs, 
To visit how they prosper'd, bud and bloom, 45 

Her nursery : they at her coming sprung, 
And, touch'd l»y her fair tendence, gladlier grew. 
Yet went she not, as not with such discourse 
Delighted, or not capable her ear 

Of what was high : such pleasure she reserved, 50 

Adam relating, she sole auditress ; 
Her husband, the relator, she preferr'd 
Before the Angel, and of him to ask 
Chose rather. He, she knew, would intermix 
Grateful digressions, and solve high dispute 55 

37. Of incorporeal speed : Not that it was truly so. It signifies very 
great speed, such as spirits might use. Speed almost spiritual, as he ex- 
presses it (110) . — N. 

41. Retired in sight, $c. : The poet here, with a great deal of art, repre- 
sents Eve as withdrawing from this part of their conversation, to amuse- 
ments more suitable to her sex. He well knew that the episode in this 
Book, which is filled with Adam's account of his passion and esteem for 
Eve, would have been improper for her hearing, and has therefore devised 
very just and beautiful reasons for her retiring. — A. 

45. To visit: To go to see. 

53. To ask: The poet is supported by the instructions of Paul, 1 Cor. xiv. 
35, &c. : " And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at 
home," &c. 



BOOK VIII. 331 

With conjugal caresses ; from his lip 

Not words alone pleased her. O ! when meet now 

Such pairs, in love and mutual honour join'd ? 

With Goddess-like demeanour forth she went, 

Not unattended, for on her, as queen, 60 

A pomp of winning graces waited still, 

And from ahout her shot darts of desire 

Into all eyes to wish her still in sight. 

And Raphael, now to Adam's doubt proposed, 

Benevolent and facile, thus reply'd : 65 

To ask or search I blame thee not ; for Heav'n 
Is as the book of God before thee set, 
Wherein to read his wondrous works, and learn 
His seasons, hours, or days, or months, or years. 
This to attain, whether Heav'n move or Earth, 70 

Imports not, if thou reckon right : the rest 
From Man or Angel the Great Architect 
Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge 
His secrets, to be scann'd by them who ought 
Rather admire : or if they list to try 75 

Conjecture, he his fabric of the Heav'ns 

65. Facile: Affable. 

70. This to attain, is to be referred to what precedes, and not to what fol- 
lows ; and hence there is only a colon before these words in Milton's own 
editions. This to attain — that is, to attain the knowledge of seasons, hours, 
&c. It imports not: It makes no difference whether Heaven move or 
Earth — that is, it matters not whether the Ptolemaic or the Copernican 
system be true. This knowledge we may on either hypothesis attain. The 
rest : Other more curious points of inquiry concerning heavenly bodies, God 
hath wisely concealed. — N. 

Whether Heaven move or Earth, §c. : The angel's returning a doubtful an- 
swer to Adam's inquiries, was not only proper for the moral reason which 
the poet assigns, but because it would have been highly absurd to give the 
sanction of an archangel to any particular system of philosophy. The chief 
points in the Ptolemaic and Copernican hypotheses are described with great 
conciseness and perspicuity, and, at the same time, dressed in very pleasing 
and poetical images. — A. 

76. He his fabric, fyc. : •' Mundum tradidit disputationi eorum, ut non in- 
veniat homo opus quod operatus est Deus, ab initio usque ad finem." Vulg. 
Lat. Eccles. iii. 11.— Heyun. 



332 PARADISE LOST. 

Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move 

His laughter at their quaint opinions wide 

Hereafter, when they come to model Heav'n 

And calculate the stars, how they will wield 80 

The mighty frame, how build, unbuild, contrive 

To save appearances, how gird the sphere 

With centric and eccentric scribbled o'er, 

79. Model Heav'n : Form a model or plan of the solar system. 

80. And calculate the stars : Form a judgment of the stars by computing 
their motions, distance, situation, &c. — P. 

82. How gird the sphere, Sfc. : The Ptolemaic hypothesis is here alluded to, 
which has in part been described in a note on 48"2, Book III. 

83. Centric (or concentric) is a term applied to hollow spheres that re- 
volve about a common centre — here, that of the earth. Eccentric are those 
which revolve about a different centre. 

Cycle is an imaginary orb or circle in the heavens. Epicycle is a circle 
upon a circle, and will be more fully explained below. 

These terms are employed in the explanation of the Ptolemaic system, the 
author of which nourished at Alexandria in the second century after Christ, 
and nearly three centuries after Hipparchus, who was the founder of Grecian 
astronomy, and whose principal discoveries have been transmitted in the 
works of Ptolemy, which was the universal text-book on astronomy, until 
the time of Copernicus, in the fifteenth century. 

According to the Ptolemaic system, which was digested by him chiefly 
from materials furnished by earlier writers and discoverers, the earth occupies 
the centre of the universe, and all the celestial bodies revolve around it from 
east to west. It explains the apparent motions of the sun, moon, and planets, 
according to a hypothesis invented by a great geometer, Apollonius of Perga, 
some centuries before, and which consists in supposing each of these bodies 
to be carried by a uniform motion round the circumference of a circle called 
the epicycle, the centre of which is carried uniformly forward in the circum- 
ference of another circle called the deferent. This second circle may be the 
epicycle of a third, and so on as long as inequalities remain to be explained; 
the earth occupying a position near, but not at, the centre of the last circle. 
This hypothesis is utterly demolished by a few accurate observations of the 
present day; but in the time of Ptolemy it served to explain all the devia- 
tions from circular motion then known, particularly the phenomena of the 
stations, and retrogradations of the planets (from west to east" ; and it was 
even of service to astronomy, by offering a means of reducing the apparent 
irregularities of the planetary motions to arithmetical calculation. 

It is the system to which almost all theological writers, even of the 
seventeenth century, uniformly refer, when they have occasion to speak of 
the celestial phenomena. See Brande's Diet. 



book vin. 333 

Cycle and epicycle, orb in orb. 

Already by thy reasoning this I guess, 85 

Who art to lead thy offspring, and supposest 

That bodies bright and greater should not serve 

The less not bright, nor Heav'n such journeys run, 

Earth sitting still, when she alone receives 

The benefit. Consider first, that great 90 

Or bright infers not excellence : the earth, 

Though, in comparison of Heav'n, so small, 

Nor glist'ring, may of solid good contain 

More plenty than the sun that barren shines, 

Whose virtue on itself works no effect, 95 

But in the fruitful earth ; there first received 

His beams, unactive else, their vigour find. 

Yet not to earth are those bright luminaries 

Officious, but to thee earth's habitant. 

And for the Heav'n's wide circuit, let it speak 100 

The Maker's high magnificence, who built 

So spacious, and his line stretch'd out so far, 

That man may know he dwells not in his own : 

An edifice too large for him to fill, 

Lodged in a small partition, and the rest 105 

Ordain 'd for uses to his Lord best known. 

The swiftness of those circles, attribute, 

Though numberless, to his omnipotence, 

That to corporeal substances could add 

Speed almost spiritual. Me thou think'st not slow, 110 

Who since the morning-hour set out from Heav'n, 

Where God resides, and ere mid-day arrived 

In Eden, distance inexpressible 

100. That man may know, <$r. : A fine reflection, and confirmed by the 
authority of the greatest philosophers, who seem to attribute the first no- 
tions of religion in man to his observing the grandeur of the universe. 
Cicero Tusc. Disp. lib. i. sect. 28, and De Nat. Deor. lib. ii. sect. 6. — Stil- 

LINGFLEET. 

105. Partition : Separate part. 

107. Attribute: Accent the last syllable. 

10S. Though numberless : Refers to circles. 



334 PARADISE LOST, 

By numbers that have name. But this I urge, 

Admitting motion hi the Heav'ns, to shew 115 

Invalid that which thee to doubt it moved ; 

Not that I so affirm, though so it seem 

To thee who hast thy dwelling here on earth. 

God, to remove his ways from human sense, 

Placed Heav'n from Earth so far, that earthly sight, 120 

If it presume, might err in things too high, 

And no advantage gain. What if the sun 

Be centre to the world, and other stars, 

By his attractive virtue and their own 

Incited, dance about him various rounds ? 125 

Their wand'ring course now high, now low, then hid, 

Progressive, retrograde, or standing still, 

In six thou seest, and what if sev'nth to these 

The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem, 

Insensibly three diff'rent motions move ? 130 

128. In six thou seest : In the moon, and the five other wandering fires, as 
they are called, V. 177. Their motions are evident ; and what if the Earth 
should be a seventh planet, and move three different motions, though to thee in- 
sensible 1 The three different motions which the Copernicans attribute to the 
Earth are the diurnal, round her own axis ; the annual, round the sun ; and 
the motion of libration, as it is called, whereby the Earth so proceeds in 
her orbit, as that her axis is constantly parallel to the axis of the world. 
(131.) Which else to several spheres thou must ascribe, fyc. : You must either as- 
cribe these motions to several spheres crossing and thwarting one another 
with crooked and indirect turnings and windings, or you must attribute them 
to the Earth, and (133) save the sun his labour, and the primum mobile too, 
that swift nocturnal and diurnal rhomb. When Milton uses a Greek word, he 
frequently subjoins the English of it, as he does here (135) , the wheel of day 
and night : so he calls the primum mobile ; and this primum mobile in the 
ancient astronomy was an imaginary sphere above those of the planets and 
fixed stars, and therefore said by our author to be supposed and invisible above 
all stars. This was supposed to be the first mover, and to carry all the 
lower spheres round along with it; by its rapidity communicating to them 
a motion whereby they revolved in twenty-four hours. (136.) Which needs 
not thy belief if Sf-c. : But there is no need to believe this, if the earth, by re- 
volving on her own axis from west to east in twenty-four hours (travelling 
east, 138\ enjoys day in that half of her globe which is turned towards the 
sun, and is covered with night in the other half which is turned away from 
the sun. — N. 



book vni. 335 

Which else to sev'ral spheres thou must ascribe, 

Moved contrary with thwart obliquities, 

Or save the sun his labour, and that swift 

Nocturnal and diurnal rhomb, supposed, 

Invisible else above all stars, the wheel 135 

Of day and night ; which needs not thy belief, 

If earth industrious of herself fetch day 

Travelling east, and with her part averse 

From the sun's beam meet night, her other part 

Still luminous by his ray. What if that light, 140 

Sent from her through the wide transpicuous air, 

To the terrestrial moon, be as a star 

Enlight'ning her by day, as she by night 

This earth ? reciprocal, if land be there, 

Fields and inhabitants. Her spots thou seest 145 

As clouds, and clouds may rain, and rain produce 

Fruits in her soften'd soil, for some to eat 

Allotted there ; and other suns perhaps 

With their attendant moons thou wilt descry, 

Communicating male and female light, 150 

Which two great sexes animate the world, 

Stored in each orb perhaps with some that live. 

For such vast room in nature unpossess'd 

134. Rhomb : Revolution ; the " wheel of day and night" mentioned in the 
next line. 

141. Transpicuous: Transparent. 

143. Enlightening her, Sfc. : A singular supposition. 

150. Male and female light: A distinction unknown to science — a mere 
poetic fancy and odd conceit. The sun was supposed to communicate male, 
and the moon female light. 

153-58. The subject here introduced, namely, the peopling of other worlds 
besides our own with intelligent and sensitive beings, has been discussed with 
great minuteness of detail and ability by Dr. Thomas Dick in his " Celestial 
Scenery," and in a more recent work on the " Sidereal Heavens ;" also, with 
an unrivalled splendour of eloquence, by Dr. Thomas Chalmers, in his dis- 
course on the Modern Astronomy. 

As a specimen of Dr. Chalmers's noble argument on this interesting topic, 
the following paragraph will be read with pleasure : 

" Shall we say, then, of these vast luminaries, that thev were created in 



336 PARADISE LOST. 

By living soul, desert and desolate, 

Only to shine, yet scarce to contribute 155 

Each orb a glimpse of light, convey'd so far 

Down to this habitable, which returns 

Light back to them, is obvious to dispute. 

But whether thus these things, or whether not ; 

Whether the sun predominant in Heav'n 160 

Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun, 

He from the east his flaming road begin, 

Or she from west her silent course advance 



vain ? Were they called into existence for no other purpose than to throw 
a tide of useless splendour over the solitudes of immensity ? Our sun is only 
one of these luminaries, and we know that he has worlds in his train. Why 
should we strip the rest of this princely attendance ? Why may not each of 
them be the centre of his own system, and give light to his own worlds ? It 
is true that we see them not ; but could the eye of man take its flight into 
those distant regions, it would lose sight of our little world before it reached 
the outer limits of our system ; the greater planets would disappear in their 
turn before it had described a small portion of that abyss which separates us 
from the fixed stars ; the sun would decline into a little spot, and all its splen- 
did retinue of worlds be lost in the obscurity of distance; he would, at last, 
shrink into a small indivisible atom ; and all that could be seen of this mag- 
nificent system would be reduced to the glimmering of a little star. Why 
resist any longer the grand and interesting conclusion ? Each of these stars 
may be the token of a system as vast and as splendid as the one which we 
inhabit. Worlds roll in these distant regions, and these worlds must be 
the mansions of life and intelligence. In yon gilded canopy of heaven we 
see the broad aspect of the universe, where each shining point presents us 
with a sun, and each sun with a system of worlds, where the Divinity reigns 
in all the grandeur of his attributes, where he peoples immensity with his 
wonders, and travels in the greatness of his strength through the dominions 
of one vast and unlimited monarchy." 

155. Contribute : Accent the last syllable. 

157. This habitable is a Greek form of expression, e.arth being understood. 
A similar omission of the noun is seen in VI. 7S, this terrene. 

159. But whether, §c. : The angel is now recapitulating the whole. He 
had argued upon the supposition of the truth of the Ptolemaic system, to 122. 
Then he proposes the Copernican, and argues upon that supposition. Now 
he sums up the whole : whether the one system or the other be true, whether 
Heaven move or Earth, solicit not thyself about these matters, fear God and 
do thy duty (1(57-68).— N. 



BOOK VIII. OOt 

With inoffensive pace that spinning sleeps 

On her soft axle, while* she paces even, 165 

And bears thee soft with the smooth air along, 

Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid ; 

Leave them to God above ; him serve and fear ! 

Of other creatures, as him pleases best, 

Wherever placed, let him dispose : joy thou 170 

In what he gives to thee, this Paradise 

And thy fair Eve. Heav'n is for thee too high 

To know what passes there. Be lowly wise : 

Think only what concerns thee and thy being ; 

Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there 175 

Live, in what state, condition, or degree, 

Contented that thus far hath been reveal'd 

Not of Earth only, but of highest Heav'n. 

To whom thus Adam, clear 'd of doubt, reply M : 
How fully hast thou satisfy'd me, pure 180 

Intelligence of Heav'n, Angel serene, 
And freed from intricacies, taught to live, 
The easiest way ; nor with perplexing thoughts 
To interrupt the sweet of life, from which 

God hath bid dwell far off all anxious cares, 185 

And not molest us, unless we ourselves 
Seek them with wand'ring thoughts, and notions vain. 
But apt the mind or fancy is to rove 
Uncheck'd, and of her roving is no end ; 

Till warn'd, or by experience taught, she learn, 190 

That not to know at large of things remote 
From use, obscure and subtle, but to know 
That which before us lies in daily life, 

164. That spinning sleeps, fyc. : Metaphors taken from a top, of whi I 
Virgil makes a whole simile, Mn. vii. 378. It is an objection to the Coper- 
nican system, that if the Earth moved round on her axle in twenty-four 
hours, we should be sensible of the rapidity and violence of the motion ; and 
therefore to obviate this objection it is not only said that she advances her si- 
lent course with inoffensive pace, that spinning sleeps on her soft axle, but it is 
further added, to explain it still more, while she paces even, and bears thee soft 
with the smooth air along ; for the air, the atmosphere, moves as well as the 
earth.— N. 

15 V 



338 PARADISE LOST. 

Is the prime wisdom ; what is more is fume, 

Or emptiness, or fond impertinence, 195 

And renders us in things that most concern 

Unpractised, unprepared, and still to seek. 

Therefore from this high pitch let us descend 

A lower flight, and speak of things at hand 

Useful, whence haply mention may arise 200 

Of something not unseasonable to ask 

By suff'rance, and thy wonted favour deign'd. 

Thee I have heard relating what was done 

Ere my remembrance : now hear me relate 

My story, which perhaps thou hast not heard : 205 

And day is yet not spent ; till then thou seest 

How subtly to detain thee I devise, 

Inviting thee to hear while I relate, 

Fond, were it not in hope of thy reply : 

For while I sit with thee, I seem in Heav'n ; 210 

And sweeter thy discourse is to my ear 

Than fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst 

And hunger both, from labour, at the hour 

Of sweet repast : they satiate and soon fill, 

Though pleasant, but thy words, with grace divine 215 

Imbued, bring to their sweetness no satiety. 

To whom thus Raphael answer'd heav'nly meek : 
Nor are thy lips ungraceful, Sire of men, 

194. Is the prime wisdo?n, Sfc. : An excellent piece of satire this, and a fine 
reproof of those men who have all sense but common sense, and whose folly 
is truly represented in the story of the philosopher, who while he was gazing 
at the stars fell into the ditch. Our author in these lines, as Mr. Thyer 
imagines, might probably have in his eye the character of Socrates, who first 
attempted to divert his countrymen from their airy and chimerical notions 
about the origin of things, and turn their attention to that prime wisdom, the 
consideration of moral duties, and their conduct in social life. — N. 

194. Fume : Smoke. 209. Fond : Foolish. 

210-16. For while I sit, fyc. : A striking passage, in which Adam gives an 
account of the pleasure he took in conversing with the angel, which eon'ains 
a very noble moral. — A. 

212. Fruits of palm-tree Dates, which are juicy and refreshing. 



book vin. 339 

Nor tongue ineloquent ; for God on thee 

Abundantly his gifts hath also pour'd 220 

Inward and outward both, his image fair : 

Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace 

Attends thee, and each word, each motion forms : 

Nor less think we in Heav'n of thee on Earth 

Than of our fellow-servant, and inquire 225 

Gladly into the ways of God with Man : 

For God, we see, hath honour'd thee, and set 

On Man his equal love : say therefore on ; 

For I that day was absent, as befel, 

Bound on a voyage uncouth and obscure, 230 

Far on excursion tow'rd the gates of Hell ; 

Squared in full legion (such command we had) 

To see that none thence issued forth a spy, 

Or enemy, while God was in his work, 

Lest he, incensed at such eruption bold, 235 

Destruction with creation might have mix'd. 

Not that they durst without his leave attempt, 

But us he sends upon his high behests 

For state, as Sov'reign King, and to inure 

Our prompt obedience. Fast we found, fast shut 240 

The dismal gates, and barricado'd strong ; 

But long ere our approaching, heard within 

Noise, other than the sound of dance or song ; 

Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage. 

Glad we return 'd up to the coasts of light 245 

Ere Sabbath ev'ning : so we had in charge. 

But thy relation now ; for I attend, 

Pleased with thy words, no less than thou with mine. 

230. Uncouth : Unusual. 232. Squared : Formed. 

233. To sec that none, §c. : As man was to be the principal work of God 
in this lower world, and (according to Milton's hypothesis) a creature to 
supply the loss of the fallen angels, so particular care is taken at his creation 
The angels on that day keep watch and guard at the gates of Hell, that none 
may issue forth to interrupt the sacred work. At the same time that this 
was a very good reason for the angel's absence, it is doii:g h jii our to the man 
with whom he was conversing. — N. 



340 PARADISE LOST. 

So spake the God-like Pow'r, and thus our sire : 
For Man to tell how human life began 250 

Is hard ; for who himself beginning knew ? 
Desire with thee still longer to converse 
Induced me. As new waked from soundest sleep, 
Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid 

In balmy sweat, which with his beams the sun 255 

Soon dry'd, and on the reeking moisture fed. 
Straight toward Heav'n my wond'ring eyes I turn'd, 
And gazed a while the ample sky, till raised 
By quick instinctive motion, up I sprung, 

As thitherward endeav'ring, and upright 260 

Stood on my feet. About me round I saw 
Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains, 
And liquid lapse of murm'ring streams : by these, 
Creatures that lived, and moved, and walk'd, or flew : 
Birds on the branches warbling : all things smiled ; 265 

"With fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflow'd. 

249. And thus our sire, fyc. : Adam, to detain the angel, enters here upon 
his own history, and relates to him the circumstances in which he found him- 
self upon his creation ; as also his conversation with his Maker, and his 
meeting with Eve. There is no part of the poem more apt to raise the at- 
tention of the reader than this discourse of our great ancestor, as nothing can 
he more surprising and delightful to us than to hear the sentiments that arose 
in the first man, while he was yet new and fresh from the hands of his 
Creator. The poet has interwoven everything which is delivered upon this 
subject in holy writ with so many beautiful imaginations of his own, that 
nolhing can be conceived more just and more natural than this whole episode. 
—A. 

253-82. When we read, for the first time, says Dr. Thomas Brown, the 
account which Adam gives to the angel of his feelings when, with faculties 
such as we have supposed, and everything new before him, he found himself 
in existence, in that happy scene of Paradise which Milton has described, — 
w<: are apt to think that the poet has represented him as beginning too soon 
to reason with respect to the Power to which he must have owed his exist- 
ence ; and yet, if we deduct the influence of long familiarity, and suppose 
even a mind less vigorous than that of Adam, but with faculties such as exist 
now only in mature life, to be placed, in the first moment of existence, in such 
u scene, we shall find, the more we reflect on the situation, that the individual 
scarcely could fail to philosophize in the same manner. See Brown's Phi- 
! isophy, vol ii. I Ti— 23. 



book vin. 341 

Myself I then perused, and limb by limb 

Survey'd, and sometimes went, and sometimes ran 

With supple joints, as lively vigour led : 

But who I was, or where, or from what cause, 270 

Knew not. To speak I tried, and forthwith spake ; 

My tongue obey'd, and readily could name 

Whate'er I saw. Thou Sun, said I, fair light, 

And thou enlighten 'd earth, so fresh and gay ; 

Ye Hills and Dales, ye Rivers, Woods, aud Plains, 275 

And ye that live and move, fair Creatures, tell, 

Tell if ye saw, how came I thus ? how here ? 

Not of myself : by some great Maker then, 

In goodness and in pow'r pre-eminent ! 

Tell me, how may I know him, how adore, 280 

From whom I have that thus I move and live, 

And feel that I am happier than I know. 

While thus I call'd, and stray'd I knew not whither, 

From where I first drew air, and first beheld 

This happy light, when answer none return'd, 285 

On a green shady bank profuse of flow'rs, 

Pensive I sat me down ; there gentle sleep 

First found me, and with soft oppression seized 

My drowsed sense, untroubled, though I thought 

I then was passing to my former state 290 

Insensible, and forthwith to dissolve : 

When suddenly stood at my head a dream, 

Whose inward apparition gently moved 

My fancy to believe I yet had being, 

And lived. One came, methought, of shape divine, 295 

And said, Thy mansion wants thee, Adam ; rise, 

First man, of men innumerable ordain'd 

First Father ; call'd by thee, I come thy guide 

To the garden of bliss, thy seat prepared. 

290-92. / then was passing, SfC. : The sentiment here expressed, when, 
upon his first going to sleep, he fancies himself losing his existence and fall- 
ing away into nothing, can never be sufficiently admired. 

His dream, in which he still preserves the consciousness of his existence, 
together with his removal into the garden which was prepared for his recep- 



342 PARADISE LOST. 

So saying, by the hand he took me raised, 300 

And over fields and waters, as in air 
Smooth sliding without step, last led me up 
A woody mountain, whose high top was plain ; 
A circuit wide, inclosed, with goodliest trees 
Planted, with walks and bow'rs, that what I saw 305 

Of earth before scarce pleasant seem'd. Each tree 
Loaden with fairest fruit, that hung to th' eye 
Tempting, stirr'd in me sudden appetite 
To pluck and eat ; whereat I waked, and found 
Before mine eyes all real, as the dream 310 

Had lively shadow' d. Here had new begun 
My wand'ring, had not he who was my guide 
Up hither, from among the trees appear'd, 
Presence divine. Rejoicing, but with awe, 
In adoration at his feet I fell 315 

Submiss : he rear'd me, and Whom thou sought'st I am, 
Said mildly ; Author of all this thou seest 
Above, or round about thee, or beneath. 
This Paradise I give thee : count it thine 
To till and keep, and of the fruit to eat, 320 

Of every tree that in the garden grows 
Eat freely with glad heart ; fear here no dearth ; 

tion, are also circumstances finely imagined, and grounded upon what is de- 
livered in sacred story. These and the like wonderful incidents in this part 
of the work, have in them all the beauties of novelty, at the same time that 
they have all the graces of nature. They are such as none but a great genius 
could have thought of; though, upon the perusal of them, they seem to rise 
of themselves from the subject of which he treats. In a word, though they 
are natural they are not obvious, which is the true character of all fine writ- 
ing. — A. 

300-303. It will be noticed that the poet represents Adam as having been 
made, not in Paradise, but in some adjacent region, whence he was conveyed 
in a most agreeable manner to his destined abode in the beautiful garden fitted 
up for his use. 

320. To till, fyc. : Milton seems here to have approved the opinion of Fa- 
gius (a favourite annotator of his) , who, in his note on Gen. ii. 9, thinks that 
Adam was to have ploughed and sowed in Paradise, if he had continued there. 
Milton here follows Ainsworth's translation of Gen. ii. 15, to till it and to- keep 
it, which is more exact than that of our common Bible. — P. 



book via. 343 

But of the tree whose operation brings 
Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set 
The pledge of thy obedience and thy faith, 325 

Amid the garden, by the tree of life, 
Remember what I warn thee : Shun to taste, 
And shun the bitter consequence ; for know, 
The day thou eat'st thereof, my sole command 
Transgress'd, inevitably thou shalt die ; 330 

From that day mortal, and this happy state 
Shalt lose ; expell'd from hence into a world 
Of woe and sorrow. Sternly he pronounced 
The rigid interdiction, which resounds 

Yet dreadful in mine ear, though in my choice 335 

Not to incur ; but soon his clear aspect 
Return'd, and gracious purpose thus renew'd : 
Not only these fair bounds, but all the earth 
To thee and to thy race I give : as lords 

Possess it, and all things that therein live, 340 

Or live in sea, or air ; beast, fish, and fowl. 
In sign whereof each bird and beast behold 
After their kinds : I bring them to receive 

323. But of the tree, §c. : This being the great hinge on which the whole 
poem turns, Milton has marked it strongly. " But of the tree" — " remember 
what I warn thee." He dwells, expatiates upon it, from 323 to 336, repeat- 
ing, enforcing, fixing every word : it is all nerve and energy. — R. 

324. Of good and ill : Gen. ii. 

330. The expression, "Thou shalt die," is well - explained in the next line. 

343. To receive their names : In the progress of the Mosaic narrator, we 
are told that God said that it was " not good for man to be alone," and de- 
clared his intention of making a suitable companion, or " help meet for 
him ;" but instead of proceeding with the account of this creation, the re- 
cord proceeds to a very different matter. " And out of the ground, the Lord 
God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought 
them unto Adam, to see what he would call them ; and whatsoever Adam 
called every living creature, that was the name thereof." What has this to 
do with the providing of an " help meet" for the first of men ? The narra- 
tive proceeds : " And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the 
air, and to every beast of the field; but" — and here comes the secret — "for 
Adam there was not found an help meet for him." It was, therefore, evi- 



344 PARADISE LOST. 

From thee their names, and pay thee fealty 

With low subjection. Understand the same 345 

Of fish within their wat'ry residence, 

Not hither summon'd since they cannot change 

Their element to draw the thinner air. 

As thus he spake, each bird and beast behold 

Approaching two and two ; these cow'ring low 350 

dently the design of the benevolent Creator, to enhance, in the view of the 
man, the value of the gift he was about to bestow upon him, by showing 
him that the existing races of animated nature, abounding as they did in 
elegant and beautiful species, did not afford any creature suited to be his 
companion, or to satisfy the yearning of his heart for the fellowship of an 
equal being. Nothing was better calculated to realize this impression, than 
to bring the various animal existences under the notice of Adam, and, at the 
same time, to endow him with the perception of their several qualities and 
natures, as is implied in his being able to give them distinctive and appro- 
priate names. It is very possible that, being as yet ignorant of the Divine 
intention, Adam considered that he was expected to find out for himself a 
meet companion among these creatures. So Milton understood it (369-377) , 
in a very remarkable passage in which he seems to ascribe the power of 
reasoning to brutes. — K. 

349. Each bird and beast behold, fyc. : The impression which the interdiction 
of the tree of life left on the mind of our first parent, is described with great 
strength and judgment ; as the image of the several beasts and birds pass- 
ing here in review before him, is very beautiful and lively. — A. 

350. Of course, modern rationalizing philosophy has found something in 
this remarkable statement on which to hang its cavils. It has been ascer- 
tained, it is urged, that animals are exclusively adapted to the regions which 
they inhabit, and that it would be contrary to their nature, and zoologically 
impossible, for them to leave their own climates, and to assemble in one 
place. It is certain that, if this did take place, as assumed, it was a super- 
natural impulse which urged them to travel to one point ; and we should 
think that no believer in the existence and power of God can doubt the 
possibility of such an impulse being given, whether he believes that it was 
given or not. But again, how did we know that various climates did exist 
before the deluge ? There is good reason to think, that before then the tem- 
perature of the earth was through all parts more equal than it has been 
since; and hence the animals would have no difficulty in passing from one 
part of the world to any other. 

But, again, was there any necessity for this migration of the animals of 
different climates to Eden ? On what ground is it assumed thus quietly that 
animals were created in their different climates ? Why might they not be 



book vnr. 345 

With blandishment, each bird stoop'd on his wing. 
I named them as they pass'd, and understood 
Their nature ; with such knowledge God indued 
My sudden apprehension : but in these 

created in the same locality in which man received his existence, afterwards 
dispersing themselves, as our race did, to the several parts of the earth 1 

Or the sacred text may be understood to refer to the animals in or near 
Eden, the word " all" being often equivalent to " many," or to " a large 
part;" and that it is here used in a limited 6ense is evident, from the fishes 
not being specified. Farther, it was unnecessary that the attention of Adam 
should be engaged by animals he was not likely to see again, and which 
had no suitableness to the purpose immediately in view. 

As these various creatures, doubtless, presented themselves to the notice 
of Adam in pairs, he must the more deeply have been convinced of his own 
isolated condition. All these creatures had suitable companions, and he had 
none : each of them was already provided with a mate, and could be no 
"help meet" for him. — K. 

353-54. Indued my sudden apprehension : In previously describing the 
naming of the cattle, Milton takes the same view as we do, that the know- 
ledge involved in that act was conveyed by instant and supernatural enlight- 
enment. — K. 

The account given by Moses is embraced in Gen. ii. 19, 20 ; yet from this 
short record what a splendid episode has Milton here produced, and what an 
admirable dialogue from the latter part only of that account ! 

Much has been inquired regarding the condition of Adam in respect of 
knowledge. All accounts necessarily assign to him the utmost physical per- 
fection of man's nature ; but in the view of some he was merely a naked 
savage, who had all things to acquire by experience. This is not from any 
intended disrespect to the father of mankind ; but because it was an old 
theory that knowledge, intelligence, and the arts of civilization, were pro- 
gressively acquired in the first ages ; and it was therefore necessary that the 
progenitor of the race should be in a state of ignorance, as it could not but 
be supposed that he would impart such knowledge as he possessed to his 
descendants. On the other hand, there are those who urge that Adam, in- 
structed of God, must have been possessed of all knowledge of which the 
mind of man is capable, and have been deeply skilled in all the sciences and 
arts of civilization. 

That both extremes are wrong we have have no doubt. Adam was, at 
his creation, not a child ; he was a man in the vigour of physical and mental 
life. He was taught of God, and not left to gather by slow experience all 
that he wanted (needed) to know. If Adam could talk at all, and we know 
that he could, language must have been supematurally imparted to him. He 
had no means of acquiring it but from God. From the same source he must 
15* 



346 PARADISE LOST. 

I found not what methought I wanted still, 355 

And to the heav'nly Vision thus presumed : 

by what name, for thou above all these, 
Above mankind, or aught than mankind higher, 
Surpassest far my naming, how may I 

Adore thee, Author of this universe, 3t'0 

And all this good to man ? for whose well being 
So amply, and with hands so liberal 
Thou hast provided all things ! but with me 
I see not who partakes. In solitude 

What happiness ? Who can enjoy alone, 365 

Or all enjoying, what contentment find ? 
Thus I presumptuous ; and the Vision bright, 
As with a smile more brighten'd, thus replied : 

What call'st thou solitude ? Is not the earth 
With various living creatures, and the air 370 

Replenish'd ? and all these at thy command 
To come and play before thee ? Know'st thou not 
Their language and their ways ? They also know, 
And reason not contemptibly. With these 

have derived the knowledge he possessed of the properties of the objects 
and beings around him. 

But it does not, on the other hand, seem to us at all necessary to suppose 
that Adam was endowed with any other knowledge than was suited to the 
condition in which he was placed, and needful to the full enjoyment of its 
advantages. That he was learned in all science, and skilled in all art, there 
seems no reason to believe. — K. 

356. Vision : Object of vision. Author of the universe, line 360. Pre- 
sumed (to say) . 

372-74. That beasts have reasoning faculties has been argued by Plutarch, 
Montaigne, and other writers, with great force of argument. Certainly, 
many things we observe in them it seems difficult to account for on a.y 
other supposition. Many of their feelings and passions are similar to our 
own. Even insects exhibit fear, anger, sorrow, joy, and desire ; and many 
of them express those passions by noises peculiar to themselves. — Bucke. 

Their language and their ways : That brutes have a kind of language 
among themselves, is evident and undeniable. There is a treatise, in 
French, of the language of brutes ; and our author supposes that Adam un- 
derstood this language, and was of knowledge superior to any of his de- 
scendants, and besides was assisted by inspiration : with such knowledge God 



book vni. 347 

Find pastime, and bear rule ; thy realm is large. 375 

So spake the Universal Lord, and seem'd 

So ordering I, with leave of speech implored, 

And humble deprecation, thus replied : 

Let not my words offend thee, Heav'nly Pow'r ! 
My Maker, be propitious while I speak ! 380 

Hast thou not made me here thy substitute, 
And these inferior far beneath me set ? 
Among unequals what society 
Can sort ? what harmony or true delight ? 
Which must be mutual, in proportion due 385 

Giv'n and received ; but in disparity, 
The one intense, the other still remiss 
Cannot well suit with either, but soon prove 
Tedious alike : Of fellowship I speak 

Such as I seek, fit to participate 390 

All rational delight, wherein the brute 
Cannot be human consort : they rejoice 
Each with their kind ; lion with lioness , 
So fitly them in pairs thou hast combined ; 
Much less can bird with beast, or fish with fowl 395 

So well converse ; nor with the ox the ape : 
Worse then can man with beast, and least of all. 

Whereto th' Almighty answer'd not displeased : 
A nice and subtle happiness I see 

Thou to thyself proposest in the choice 400 

Of thy associates, Adam, and wilt taste 
No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary. 
What think'st thou then of me, and this my state ? 
Seem I to thee sufficiently possess'd 
Of happiness, or not, who am alone 40 

endued his sudden apprehension. He is said by the school divines to have 
exceeded Solomon himself in knowledge. — N. 

386. But in disparity : But in inequality, such as is between rational and 
brute : the one intense, man, high, wound up and strained to nobler under- 
standing, and of more lofty faculties ; the other still remiss, the animal, let 
down, and slacker, grovelling in more low and mean perceptions, can never 
suit together. A musical metaphor, from strings, of which the stretched and 
highest give a smart and sharp sound — the slack a fiat and heavy one. — H. 



348 PARADISE LOST. 

From all eternity r for none I know 

Second to me, or like, equal much less. 

How have I then with whom to hold converse 

Save with the creatures which I made ? and those 

To me inferior ! infinite descents 410 

Beneath what other creatures are to thee. 

He ceased ; I lowly answer'd : To attain 
The height and depth of thy eternal ways, 
All human thoughts come short, Supreme of things ! 
Thou in thyself art perfect, and in thee 415 

Is no deficience found. Not so is Man, 
But in degree ; the cause of his desire 
By conversation with his like to help, 
Or solace his defects. No need that thou 
Should'st propagate, already infinite, 420 

And through all numbers absolute, though one ; 
But Man by number is to manifest 
His single imperfection, and beget 
Like of his like, his image multiplied 

In unity defective, which requires 425 

Collat'ral love, and dearest amity. 
Thou in thy secrecy, although alone, 
Best with thyself accompanied, seek'st not 
Social communication ; yet so pleased, 

Canst raise thy creature to what height thou wilt 430 

Of union or communion, deified: 
I by conversing cannot these erect 
From prone, nor in their ways complacence find. 

421. Through all, $c. : Through all numbers of years— that is, eternally, 
absolute, or independent of any cause or object. 

423. Single imperfection : Imperfection as an individual, from being single. 
The same idea is conveyed (425) by the phrase, " In unity defective." 

429. So pleased: If so pleased. 

433. Prone: Bending forward and looking downward. The expression 
may have been suggested to the poet by this passage in Sallust: '' Omnes 
homines qui sese student prcstare c i teris animalibus, summa ope niti decet, 
ne vitam silentio transeant veluti pecora. qu e natura prona, atque ventri 
obedientia. finxit." Or Milton may have remembered the beautiful lines 



book vnr. 349 

Thus I embolden'd spake, and freedom used 

Permissive, and acceptance found ; which gain'd 435 

This answer from the gracious voice divine : 

Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased ; 
And find thee knowing, not of beasts alone, 
Which thou hast rightly named, but of thyself; 
Expressing well the spirit within thee free, 410 

My image not imparted to the brute, 
Whose fellowship therefore unmeet for thee, 
Good reason was thou freely should'st dislike : 
And be so minded still. I, ere thou spak'st, 
Knew it not good for Man to be alone ; 445 

And no such company as then thou saw'st 
Intended thee; for trial only brought, 
To see how thou could'st judge of fit and meet. 
What next I bring shall please thee, be assured ; 
Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, 450 

of Ovid (lib. i. 84-86) , which it will gratify the classic reader here to 
quote : 

" Pronaqtie cum spectent animalia csetera terram ; 
Os homini sulilime dedit ; ccelumque tueri 
Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus." 

" It seems to be the expression of mental elevation, conveyed by the " os 
sublime" of man, and by what Milton calls " (he looks commencing ivith the 
skies, v which is the foundation of the sublimity we ascribe to the human 
figure. In point of actual height, it is greatly inferior to various tribes of 
other animals ; but none of these have the whole of their bodies, both trunk 
and limbs, in the direction of the vertical line, coinciding with that tendency 
to rise, or to mount upwards, which is symbolical of every species of im- 
provement, whether intellectual or moral, and which typifies so forcibly to 
our species the pre-eminence of their rank and destination among the inha- 
bitants of this lower world. 

" Intimately connected with the sublime effect of man's erect form, is the 
imposing influence of a superiority of stature over the mind of the multi- 
tude. ' And when Saul stood among the people, he was higher than any of 
then), from his shoulders and upward. And all the people shouted, and said, 
God save the king.' " — Dugald Stewart's Works, vol. iv. 307. 

On this principle Milton has described or.r first parents as 

" of far nobler shape and tall, 

Godlike erect." 

Book IV. 277-78. 



350 PARADISE LOST. 

Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire. 

He ended, or I heard no more, for now 
My earthly by his heav'nly overpower'd, 
Which it had long stood under, strain'd to th' highfc 
In that celestial colloquy sublime, 455 

As with an object that excels the sense 
Dazzled and spent, sunk down, and sought repair 
Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, call'd 
By nature as in aid, and closed mine eyes. 
Mine eyes he closed, but open left the cell 460 

Of fancy, my internal sight ; by which 
Abstract, as in a trance, methought I saw, 
Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape 
Still glorious before whom awake I stood ; 
Who stooping, open'd my left side, and took 465 

453. Earthly : Earthly nature. The cause is here assigned for that deep 
sleep into which Adam now sunk, preparatory to the reception of a suitable 
partner — " another self." Mine eyes he closed : The order of the words being 
beautifully changed from that in the last line. Sleep is personified. 

460. It is probable that the "deep sleep" was supernatural, or a kind of 
trance, in which he had been conscious, althorgh without pain, but rather, 
perhaps, with rapture, of the whole process of Eve's formation. This is the 
idea generally entertained by the Jewish writers, and by the old Christian 
fathers, and it has been adopted, and beautifully brought out here by Millo*. 
— K. 

462. Abstract : That is, the spirit was so separated from the body that it 
did not see things as before with its material organs of vision. — S. 

The word in Gen. ii. 21, that is translated " deep sleep" in our version, the 
Greek interpreters render by the word trance or ecstacy. 

465. The Scripture says only "one of his ribs," but Milton follows those 
interpreters who suppose this rib was taken from the left side, as being 
nearer to the heart. — : N. 

Some Jewish expositors teach us that it was taken from the right side, 
and say that there was an odd, or thirteenth rib on that side — a mere fanciful 
conjecture. 

Many have rejected the Scriptural account of woman's origin, and have 
considered it an allegory. But (as Dr. Kitto has observed) there is no 
greater difficulty in taking literally the creation of woman than the creation 
of man. All modes being equally easy to God, he chose that which might 
impress upon man n mora! lesson, even by the physical fact of his origin : 
a lesson important to repress pride, even in unfallen man, but which became 



BOOK VIII. 351 

From thence a rib, with cordial spirits warm, 

And life-blood streaming fresh ; wide was the wound ; 

But suddenly with flesh fill'd up, and heaPd, 

The rib he form'd and fashion'd with his hands : 

Under his forming hands a creature grew, 470 

Manlike, but different sex ; so lovely fair, 

That what seem'd fair in all the world, seem'd now 

Mean, or in her summ'd up, in her contain'd, 

And in her looks ; which from that time infused 

Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before ; 475 

And into all things from her air inspired 

The spirit of love and amorous delight. 

She disappear'd, and left me dark. I waked 

terribly emphatic when, after the fall, man heard the awful words, " Dust 
thou art. and unto dust thou shalt return." 

Whether there was some peculiar organization in Adam (such as an ad- 
ditional rib) , in order to provide for the formation of woman, or that God 
substituted another rib for the one he had taken, it is not very important for 
us to know ; but it is important to understand that he, to whom all modes 
are the same, chose one which should serve vividly to impress upon the 
mind of man and woman, their peculiarly intimate relation to each other. 
In other creatures there was no natural connection between the pairs in the 
very act of creation. The sexes were, in them, created independently of 
each other. But the fact of woman's derivation from man — a part of him- 
solf, separated to be in another form re-united to him — was calculated to in- 
dicate and to originate an especial tenderness in their nuptial state, and its 
indissoluble character, Eph. v. 28-31. Surely to teach such lessons as these, 
was a sufficient reason for the mode of woman's creation. She was to be 
created in some mode or other, and however created, in that would have 
been the miracle. — K. 

407. Cordial spirits warm : Spirits warm with the energy of the heart. 

471-73. Mean: The position of the words, with the pause upon this par- 
ticular word, gives great force to the sentiment expressed. 

478. Left me dark : She that was my light vanished, and left me dark and 

comfortless. In almost all languages light is a metaphor for joy and comfort, 

and darkness for the contrary. The poet uses this metaphor in a sonnet on 

his deceased wife. After describing her as having appeared to him, he says, 

" She fleil. and day brought back my night." 

N. 
Adam's distress upon losing sight of this beautiful phantom, with his ex- 
clamations of joy and gratitude at the discovery of a real creature who re- 



352 PARADISE LOST. 

To find ber, or for ever to deplore 

Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure : 480 

When, out of hope, behold her, not far off, 

Such as I saw her in my dream, adorn'd 

With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow 

To make her amiable ! On she came, 

Led by her Heav'nly Maker, though unseen 485 

And guided by his voice ; nor uninfurm'd 

Of nuptial sanctity and marriage rites. 

Grace was in all her steps ! Heav'n in her eye ! 

In ev'ry gesture dignity and love ! 

I oveijoy'd, could not forbear aloud : 490 

This turn hath made amends ! Thou hast fulfill'd 
Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign, 
Giver of all things fair, but fairest this 
Of all thy gifts, nor enviest ! I now see 

Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself 495 

Before me ! Woman is her name ; of Man 
Extracted. For this cause he shall forego 
Father and mother, and to his wife adhere : 

sembled the apparition which had been presented to him in his dream ; the 
approaches he makes to her, and his manner of courtship, are all laid toge- 
ther in a most exquisite propriety of sentiments. 

Though this part of the poem is worked up with great warmth and 
spirit, the love which is described in it is every way suitable to a state of 
innocence. If the reader compares the description which Adam gives of his 
leading Eve to the nuptial bower, with that which Dryden makes on the 
same occasion, in a scene of his Fall of Man, he will be sensible of the great 
care which Milton took to avoid all thoughts on so delicate a subject, that 
might be offensive to religion or good manners. The sentiments are chaste, 
but not cold ; and convey to the mind ideas of the most transporting passion 
and of the greatest purity. — A. 

490. Aloud: Aloud (to say) . 

494. Nor enviest: Nor thinkest this gift too good for me. — P. 

495. Bone of my bone, fyc. : My own similitude — myself. That Adam, 
waking from his deep sleep, should, in words so express and prophetic, own 
and claim his companion, gave ground to the opinion, that he was not only 
asleep but entranced, too; by which he saw all that was done to him, and 
understood the mystery of it, God informing his understanding in his ecstasy. 
— H. 



book viii. 353 

And they shall he one flesh, one heart, one soul. 

She heard me thus ; and tho' divinely brought, 500 

Yet innocence and virgin modesty, 
Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth, 
That would be woo'd, and not unsought be won, 
Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired, 

The more desirable ; or to say all, 505 

Nature herself, though pure of sinful thought, 
Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turn'd. 
I follow'd her : she what was honour knew, 
And with obsequious majesty approved 

My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bower 510 

I led her, blushing like the morn. All Heav'n, 
And happy constellations on that hour 
Shed their selectest influence ! The earth 

499. This line is an amplification of the statement in Genesis, " And they 
shall be one flesh." It is an instance also of a monosyllabic line, and that 
one of great beauty. In Book II., 621-950, are lines of similar construction 
and force. 

502. Conscience : Consciousness, knowledge. " Conscientia bene actae vita; 
jucundissima est." — Cic. de Senect. 

504. Not obvious : Not coming to meet me; r.ot throwing herself in my way. 
She was '"divinely brought;" line 500. 

507. Wrought : This verb stands related, not only to nature but to inno- 
cence, vigour, modesty, virtue, and cotiscicnce of worth, as its nominatives. 

511-20. Jill Heaven, 6fc. : In poetry, personifications are extremely fre- 
quent, and are, indeed, the very life and soul of it. We expect to find every- 
thing animated in the descriptions of a poet who has a lively fancy. One 
of the greatest pleasures we receive from poetry, is. to find ourselves always 
in the midst of our fellows, and to see everything thinking, feeling, and act- 
ing as we ourselves do. This is, perhaps, the principal charm of this sort 
of figured style, that it introduces us into society with all nature, and inter- 
ests us even in inanimate objects, by forming a connection between them 
and us, through that sensibility which it ascribes to them. This is exempli- 
fied remarkably in the passage here quoted. — Blair. 

513-18. Homer's Iliad, xiv. 3-17-351. In all his copies, however, of the 
beautiful passages of other authors, he studiously varies and disguises them, 
the better to give himself the air of an original, and to make by his addi- 
tions and improvements, what he borrowed the more fairly his own : the 
only regular wav of acquiring a property in thoughts taken from other 

w 



354 PARADISE LOST. 

Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill ! 

Joyous the birds ; fresh gales and gentle airs 515 

Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings 

Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub, 

Disporting, till the amorous bird of night 

Sung spousal, and bid haste the ev'ning star 

On his hill-top, to light the bridal lamp. 520 

Thus have 1 told thee all my state, and brought 
My story to the sum of earthly bliss 
Which I enjoy ; and must confess to find 
In all things else delight indeed, but such 
As used or not, works in the mind no change, 525 

Nor vehement desire ; these delicacies 
I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flow'rs, 
Walks, and the melody of birds ; but here 
Far otherwise, transported I behold, 
Transported touch. Here passion first I felt, 530 

writers, if we may believe Horace, whose laws in poetry are of undoubted 
authority. De Art. Poet. 131. Milton, indeed, in what he borrows from 
Scripture, observes the contrary rule, and generally adheres minutely, or 
rather religiously, to the very words, as much as possible, of the original. 
— N. 

519-20. The evening star: (Venus') is said to light the bridal lamp, as it 
was the signal among the ancients to light their lamps and torches in order 
to conduct the bride home to the bridegroom. " Vesper adest, juvenes con- 
surgite," &c, says Catullus. 

On his hill-top, says our author, writing in the language as well as in the 
spirit of the ancients ; for when this star appeared eastward in the morning, 
it was said to rise on Mount Ida. Virg. JEn. ii. 801 : 

" Jamque jugis summae surgebat Lucifer Idas, 
Ducebatque diem." 

When it appeared westward in the evening, it was said to be seen on 
Mount (Etna, Virg. Eccl. viii. 30. Milton therefore writes in classical lan- 
guage. He does not mention any mountain by name. This bridal cere- 
mony of the ancients is alluded to more plainly in Book XI. 588-591. — N. 

519. Spousal : Nuptials. 

521-59. Thus have I told, fyc. : What a noble mixture of rapture and inno- 
cence has the author joined together in the reflection which Adam makes of 
the pleasures of love compared with those of sense ! — A. 



book viii. 355 

Commotion strange, in all enjoyments else 

Superior and unmoved ; here only weak 

Against the charm of beautj^'s pow'rful glance. 

Or nature fail'd in me, and left some part 

Not proof enough such object to sustain ; 535 

Or from my side subducting, took perhaps 

More than enough : at least on her bestow'd 

Too much of ornament ; in outward show 

Elaborate ; of iuward, less exact. 

For well I understand, in the prime end 540 

Of nature, her th' inferior in the mind 

And inward faculties, which most excel, 

In outward also her resembling less 

His image who made both, and less expressing 

The character of that dominion giv'n 545 

O'er other creatures ; yet, when I approach 

Her loveliness, so absolute she seems, 

And in herself, complete ; so well to know 

Her own, that what she wills to do or say, 

Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best ! 550 

All higher knowledge in her presence falls 

Degraded ! Wisdom in discourse with her 

Loses, discount'nanced, and like folly shews. 

537. The same sentiment is more fully expressed by Milton in his Samson 
Agonistes : 

" Is it for that such outward ornament 
Was lavished on their sex, that inward gifts 
Were left for haste unfinished, judgment scant, 
Capacity not rais'd to apprehend 
Or value what is best 
In choice, but oftest to affect the wrong ?" 

541-45. We have here an expression of the poet's opinion upon the ques- 
tion of the comparative intellectual strength of the sexes, much discussed in 
our own day ; also upon the retired position which she was designed to oc- 
cupy with reference to the exercise of authority or government. 

547. Msolute : Finished, complete. 

550. Virtuousest, discreetest : These terms are more expressive than the 
ordinary forms of the superlative degree 

553. Discount 'yianccd : Abashed, 



356 PARADISE LOST. 

Authority and reason on her wait, 

As one intended first, not after made 555 

Occasionally ; and to consummate all, 

Greatness of Mind and Nobleness their seat 

Build in her, loveliest, and create an awe 

About her, as a guard angelic placed ! 

To whom the Angel, with contracted brow : 560 

Accuse not Nature ; she hath done her part : 
Do thou but thine, and be not diffident 
Of wisdom ; she deserts thee not, if thou 
Dismiss not her, when most thou need'st her nigh, 
By attributing overmuch to things 565 

Less excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st. 
For what admir'st thou ? what transports thee so ? 
An outside ? Fair no doubt, and worthy well 
Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love ; 
Not thy subjection. Weigh with her thyself, 570 

Then value. Oft-times nothing profits more 
Than self-esteem, grounded on just and right 
Well managed. Of that skill the more thou know'st, 
The more she will acknowledge thee h^r head, 
And to realities yield all her shows ; 575 

Made so adorn for thy delight the more, 
So awful, that with honour thou may'st love 
Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least wise. 

555-56. Intended to be first, and not made for the sake of another, or to 
suit an emergency. 

560. To whcnn, Sfc. : The sentiments of love in our first parent, expressed 
above, gave the angel such an insight into human nature, that he seems ap- 
prehensive of the evils which might befal the species in general, as well as 
Adam in particular, from the excess of his passion. He therefore fortifies 
him against it by timely admonitions, which very artfully prepare the mind 
of the reader for the occurrences of the next Book, where the weakness of 
which Adam here gives such distant discoveries, brings about that fatal event 
which is the subject of the poem. — A. 

565. jlttributing : Accent the third syllable. 

569. Eph. v. 28, 29 : 1 Pet. iii. 7. 

573. That skill : Skill in self-esteem, grounded, &c. 

576. Morn: Adorned. 577. Awful: Awe-inspiring. 



BOOK VIII. 357 

But if the sense of touch, whereby mankind 

Is propagated, seem such dear delight 580 

Beyond all other, think the same vouchsafed 

To cattle and each beast ; which would not be 

To them made common and divulged, if aught 

Therein enjoy'd were worthy to subdue 

The soul of man, or passion in him move. 5S5 

What higher in her society thou find'st 

Attractive, human, rational, love still. 

In loving thou dost well, in passion not, 

Wherein true love consists not. Love refines 

The thoughts, and heart enlarges ; hath his seat 590 

In reason, and is judicious ; is the scale 

By which to heav'nly love thou may'st ascend, 

Not sunk in carnal pleasure : for which cause 

Among the beasts no mate for thee was found. 

To whom thus, half abash'd, Adam reply'd : 595 

Neither her outside, form'd so fair, nor aught 
In procreation, common to all kinds, 
(Though higher of the genial bed by far, 
And with mysterious reverence I deem) 

So much delights me as those graceful acts, 600 

Those thousand decencies, that daily flow 
From all her words and actions, mix'd with love 
And sweet compliance ; which declare unfeign'd 
Union of mind, or in us both one soul : 

Harmony to behold in wedded pair, 605 

More grateful than harmonious sound to th' ear. 
Yet these subject not : I to thee disclose 
What inward thence I feel, not therefore foil'd, 

579. Occasioned by what Adam had said (529-30) . 

595-605. Half-abashed, Sfc. : Adam's discourse, which here follows the 
gentle rebuke which he had received from the angel, shows that his love, 
however violent it might appear, was still founded in reason, and consequently 
not improper for Paradise. — A. 

607-10. Variously representing : The most difficult passage in the poem. 
It may be paraphrased thus : Yet these subject not (these bring me not into 
subjection, 570, 584, 585) . I indeed disclose to thee the strong emotions which 
these accomplishments and graceful actions of Eve have excited (530-35) ; 



358 PARADISE LOST. 

Who meet with various objects, from the sense 

Variously representing ; yet, still free, 610 

Approve the best, and follow what I approve. 

To love thou blam'st me not ; for love thou say'st 

Leads up to Heav'n ; is both the way and guide. 

Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask : 

Love not the heav'nly Spirits ? and how their love 615 

Express they ? by looks only ? or do they mix 

Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch ? 

To whom the Angel, with a smile that glowM 
Celestial rosy red (love's proper hue), 

Answer'd : Let it suffice thee that thou know'st 620 

TJs happy ; and without love no happiness. 
Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy 'st 
(And pure thou wert created) we enjoy 
In eminence, and obstacle find none 

Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars. 625 

Easier than air with air, if Spirits embrace, 
Total they mix, union of pure with pure 
Desiring ; not restrain 'd conveyance need, 
As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with soul. 
But I can now no more ; the parting sun 630 

Beyond the earth's green cape and verdant isles 
Hesperian sets, my signal to depart. 

but I am not on this account foiled (I am not embarrassed, confused in my 
judgment) when I meet with various objects from, or by, the sense sensibility, 
sensation) variously representing (or when I meet with the various objects 
represented to me in different ways, made known to me in different ways, 
through the sense of sight, touch, smell, &c.) : Yet, still free. fyc. : Notwith- 
standing the influence of strong feeling, above acknowledged, I am still free 
from all improper bias; my judgment is not foiled, but performs its appro- 
priate office of approving the best objects, and I follow what I approve. 

617. Irradiance: Their beams of light and splendour. Virtual touch: That 
which is not real or immediate, but has the same effect, is equivalent to it. 

631-32. The south-western extremity of Spain, or Cape de Verd, the most 
western in Africa, is the Cape referred to. The verdant, are the Canary Isles, 
or perhaps the Cape Verd Islands, further south. Hesperian means western, 
derived from a Greek word signifying evening. On this account Italy was 
called Hesperia by the Greeks, as lying west of them ; and Spain was called 
Hesperia by the Roman?, for the same reason.- 



book viii. 359 

Be strong, live happy, and lore ; but, first of all, 

Him whom to love is to obey, and keep 

His great command : take heed lest passion sway 635 

Thy judgment to do aught which else free will 

Would not admit ; thine and of all thy sons 

The weal or woe in thee is placed ; beware. 

I in thy persevering shall rejoice, 

And all the Blest. Stand fast ; to stand or fall 640 

Free in thine own arbitrement it lies. 

Perfect within, no outward aid require ; 

And all temptation to transgress repel. 

So saying, he arose ; whom Adam thus 
Follow'd with benediction : Since to part, 645 

Go heav'nly Guest, ethereal Messenger, 
Sent from whose sov'reign goodness I adore. 
Gentle to me and affable hath been 
Thy condescension, and shall be honour'd ever 
With grateful memory ; thou to mankind 650 

Be good and friendly still, and oft return. 

So parted they ; the Angel up to Heav'n 
From the thick shade, and Adam to his bow'r. 

633-43. Raphael closes the interview with some appropriate and solemn 
counsels and commands. 

637. Admit: Used in the Latin sense, and equivalent to commit. 

645. Since to part, Sf-c. : Adam's speech at parting with the angel has in it 
a deference and gratitude agreeable to an inferior nature, and at the same time 
a certain dignity and greatness suitable to the father of mankind in his state 
of innocence. — A. 

Benediction has the sense of thanks, as Milton has explained the word in 
Parad. Reg. iii. 127: 

" Glory and benediction, that is. thanks.'' 

Since to part, is an abbreviation for, " since it is necessary to part." 

647. Whose: (Him) whose. 

652. Bower : To meet an objection of Dr. Bentley, Newton observes that 
in this place is meant Adam's inmost bower, as it is called, IV. 738. There 
was a shady walk that led to Adam's bower. When the angel arose (644) , 
Adam followed him into this shady walk ; and it was from this thick- shade 
that they parted, and the angel went up to Heaven, and Adam to his bower. 



BOOK IX. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Satan, having compassed the earth with meditated guile, returns as a mist 
by night into Paradise, enters into the Serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in 
the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several 
places, each labouring apart ; Adam consents not, alleging the danger, lest 
that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her, found alone ; 
Eve, loth to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going 
apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength ; Adam at last yields ; 
the Serpent finds her alone ; his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, 
with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering 
to hear the Serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such 
Tinderstanding not till now ; the Serpent answers, that by lasting of a certain 
tree in the garden he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of 
both ; Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree 
of knowledge, forbidden ; the Serpent, now grown bolder, with many wiles 
and arguments, induces her at length to eat ; she, pleased with the taste, de- 
liberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adatn or not ; at last brings 
him of the fruit, relates what persuaded her to eat thereof; Adam, at first 
amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to per- 
ish with her, and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit : the effects 
thereof in them both ; they seek to cover their nakedness ; then fall to va- 
riance and accusation of one another. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

The Ninth Book is raised upon that brief account in Scripture, wherein we 
are told that the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field, that 
he tempted the woman to eat the forbidden fruit, that she was overcome by 
this temptation, and that Adam followed her example. From these few par- 
ticulars Milton has formed one of the most entertaining narratives that in- 
vention ever produced. He has disposed of these several circumstances among 
so many beautiful and natural fictions of his own, that his whole story looks 
only like a comment upon sacred writ, or rather seems to be a full and com- 
plete relation of what the other is only an epitome. The disposition and 
continuance of the story I regard as the principal beauty of the Ninth Book, 
which has more story in it and is fuller of incidents, than any other in the 
whole poem. — A. 

The Ninth Book is that on which the whole fate and fall of man turns ; 
and so far is the most important. It is called the most tender. If the sub- 
mission to sensual human passions be tenderness, it is so ; taking the resist- 
ance to those passions to be loftiness. The serpent himself appears to have 
been enamoured of Eve's beauty and loveliness of mien, and for a moment to 
have repented of the evil he was plotting to bring upon her. 

All that we know from the Mosaic history is, that the serpent tempted 
Eve, and Eve tempted Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit; but we do not 
know by what wiles this sin was brought about. We may suppose that by 
the serpent, the operation of the evil passions of contradiction, disobedience 
rebellion, and scepticism is meant: just as we may suppose that Eve persisted 
in roaming alone in spite of Adam's dissuasions, merely because her pride 
was thwarted by her husband's fear that " some harm should befal her" in 
his absence. — E. B. 



The sentiments advanced by Sir E. Brydges in the last paragraph are not 
in accordance with Scriptural truth or sound philosophy, as will be made 
evident from the following statements and reasonings of Dr. Kitto : 

In the sad history of the fall, there is scarcely any one incident which more 
exercises our thoughts than the nature of the creature by whose banefu 1 
Eaia^ostions that ruin was brought to pass. The sacred record, in the third 



362 PARADISE LOST. 

chapter of Genesis, says plainly enough that it was " a serpent," described 
as being ll more subtile than any beast of the field ;" and the final curse also 
indicates the serpentine condition — " Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust 
shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." 

Hence, some have regarded the tempter as a serpent, and nothing more. 
This opinion has many more advocates than the reader might suppose ; or 
rather, it has had them, for there are few who now entertain this opinion. To 
the question, How could a mere serpent tempt Eve, it is answered, that it lay 
in the repeated use by the serpent of the forbidden fruit in her presence, 
without any of the apparent effects upon him which she had been taught to 
dread. The influence of this example, and the thoughts that hence arose in 
her mind, are then represented, agreeably to the genius of oriental and figu- 
rative language, in the form of a conversation. The great objection to this 
is, that the alleged figurative style here, is adverse to the literal tone and 
character of the whole narrative; and, what is far more conclusive, that 
another agent is clearly pointed out in the New Testament, and may, by the 
light thus afforded, be discovered even in the original account. 

That agent is the Devil, or Satan, and the general opinion is, that he em- 
ployed or actuated the serpent as his instrument. Thus the latter appears to 
reason and to speak. The woman converses with him, and she is led, by the 
artful representations which the Devil enables him to make, to transgress the 
divine law. No mere animal could have taken the part this serpent did. 
But it may be doubted whether Eve knew this. It is possible that the in- 
tuitive perception of the qualities of animals which Adam possessed, was not 
shared by Eve, but was to be imparted to her by him ; and it is highly pro- 
bable that he had not yet communicated to her all the knowledge of this kind 
which had been acquired by him before she had existence. It is far from 
improbable that the knowledge of this fact was among the considerations 
which induced Satan to apply himself through the serpent to the woman ra- 
ther than to the man. She, being continually making new discoveries in the 
animal creation, would be little surprised in at length finding one creature 
that could speak, and even reason. Or, supposing she did know that animals 
could not do either, it has seemed to us possible that the serpent by eating 
the fruit in her sight, may have led her to conclude that his superior gifts 
were owing to his having partaken of this sovereign food. This supposition 
is quite in harmony with the general drift of the fatal argument. The curse 
pronounced upon the deceiver is plainly addressed to an intelligent agent de- 
signedly guilty of an enormous crime, and would have been unmeaning and 
unworthy of the Divine character, if addressed to a mere animal, which, in 
following the instincts of its nature, had unconsciously raised seductive 
thoughts in the mind of the woman. 

That, however, the phraseology of the curse is in its outer sense applied to 
the condition of the serpent, while in its inner meaning terribly significant to 
the intelligent agent, seems to us very clearly to show lhat the serpent was 
really, and not figuratively, employed in this awful transaction. The more 



book ix. 363 

closely the language of the curse is examined, the more real its purport, as 
addressed to the intelligent agent of the temptation, under forms of speech 
adapted to the serpentine condition, will he apparent. The closing portion 
of it " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy 
«eed and her seed : it (he) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his 
leel," could have no significance with reference merely to the serpent; but 
to the real tempter it was of awful importance. They were words to shake 
Hell, and to fill the arch fiend with consternation. It is not at all likely that 
the fallen pair understood these words nearly so well as he did ; yet even to 
them it must have appeared that it promised some great and crowning 
triumph to "the seed of the woman." and perhaps a recovery from the fall, 
after the enemy had seemed for a time to triumph over him, and to '' bruise 
his heel." But we know its meaning better, probably, than either the first 
oair or even Satan did then. We can see that it was the first gospel promise, 
foretelling the sufferings of Christ and his final triumph over the Evil One ; 
his victory in our behalf, by suffering. 



BOOK IX. 



No more of talk where God or Angel guest 

With Man, as with his friend, familiar used 

To sit indulgent, and with him partake 

Rural repast, permitting him the while 

Venial discourse, unblamed : I now must change 5 

Those notes to tragic ; foul distrust, and breach 

Disloyal on the part of Man, revolt, 

And disobedience : on the part of Heav'n 

Now alienated, distance and distaste, 

Anger and just rebuke, and judgment given, 10 

That brought into this world a world of woe, 

I . No more of talk, fyc. : The poet says that he must now treat no more 
of familiar discourse with either God or angel ; for Adam had held discourse 
with God, as we read in the preceding Book, and the whole foregoing 
episode is a conversation with the angel, and as this takes up so large a part 
of the poem, it is particularly described and insisted upon here. The Lord 
God and the angel Michael, both indeed afterwards discourse with Adam in 
the following Books, but those discourses are not familiar conversation as 
with a friend : they are of a different strain, the one coming to judge, and 
the other to expel him from Paradise. — N. 

5. Venial discourse : Discourse upon familiar topics, or of a familiar cha- 
racter. I must now change, fyc. : As the author is now changing his subject, 
he proposes, likewise, to change his style agreeably to it. What follows is 
more of tragic strain, than of the epic, which may serve as an answer to 
those critics who censure the latter Books of the Paradise Lost as falling 
below the former. — N. 

II. World a world: An instance of the pun — a form of expression gene- 
ra j condemned by the critics when introduced into a dignified poem ; yet 



book ix. 365 

Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery, 

Death's harbinger. Sad task ! yet argument 

Not lels but more heroic than the wrath 

Of stern Achilles on his foe pursued 15 

Thrice fugitive about Troy wall ; or rage 

Of Turnus for Lavinia disespoused, 

Or Neptune's ire, or Juno's, that so long 

Perplex'd the Greek and Cytherea's son : 

If answerable style I can obtain 20 

Of my celestial patroness, who deigns 

Her nightly visitation unimplored, 

And dictates to me slumb'ring, or inspires 

Easy my unpremeditated verse : 

Since first this subject for heroic song 25 

Pleased me long choosing, and beginning late ; 

it must be admitted that Milton's puns are often very expressive, as in this 
instance. 

12. Shadow Death : A beautiful figure to illustrate the sad connection of 
death with sin. As in the presence of light an opaque body casts a dark 
shadow, so in the light of the Divine government sin casts the dismal 
shadow of death. Misery here denotes any of those sufferings and diseases 
which undermine health and life. 

13. Sad task, yet argument : The Paradise Lost, even in this latter part of 
it, concerning God's anger and Adam's distress, is a more heroic subject than 
the wrath of Achilles on his foe, Hector, whom he pursued three times round 
the walls of Troy, according to Homer ; or than the rage of Turnus for 
Lavinia disespoused (17) , having been first betrothed to him, and after- 
wards promised to JEnezs, according to Virgil ; or Neptune's ire that so 
long perplexed the Greek, Ulysses, as we read in the Odyssey ; or Juno's ire 
(18 >, that for so many years perplexed Cytherea's son, iEneas, as we read at 
large in the iEneid. The anger that he is about to sing is an argument 
(subject) more heroic not only than the anger of men, of Achilles and 
Turnus, but than that even of .the gods, of Neptune and Juno. The anger 
of the true God is a more noble subject than thai of false gods. In this re- 
spect he has the advantage of Homer and Virgil ; his argument is more 
heroic, as he says, if he can but make his style answerable. — N. 

22. Celestial patroness : Called, in other parts of the poem, heavenly Muse, 
Urania, in conformity to classical usage. 

21. Nightly visitation: He composed verses at night. 

26. Long choosing, §c. : Our author intended pretty early to write an epic 
poem, and proposed the story of King Arthur for the subject of it ; but that 



366 PARADISE LOST 

Not sedulous by nature to indite 

Wars, hitherto the only argument 

Heroic deem'd, chief ruast'ry to dissect 

With long and tedious havoc fabled knights 30 

In battles feign 'd ; the better fortitude 

Of patience and heroic martyrdom 

Unsung ; or to describe races and games, 

Or tilting furniture, emblazon'd shields, 

Impresses quaint, caparisons and steeds ; 35 

Bases and tinsel trappings, gorgeous knights 

At joust and tournament ; then marshal'd feast 

Served up in hall with sewers and seneschals ; 

The skill of artifice or office mean, 

Not that which justly gives heroic name 40 

To person or to poem. Me of these 

Nor skill'd nor studious, higher argument 

Remains, sufficient of itself to raise 

was laid aside, probably for the reason here intimated. The Paradise Lost he 
designed first as a tragedy. It was not till long after that he began to form 
it into an epic poem ; and indeed for several years he was so hotly engaged 
in the controversies of the times, that he was not at leisure to think of a 
work of this nature, and did not begin to fashion it in its present form, till 
after the Salmasian controversy, which ended in 1655, and probably did not 
set about the work in earnest till after the Restoration, so that he was long 
choosing and beginning late. — N. 

28. Heroic deemed : By the moderns as well as by the ancients, wars being 
the principal subject of all the poems from Homer down to this time ; but 
Milton's subject was different, yet he reckons it himself a heroic poem. — N. 

29. Chief mastery, fyc. : Those were wrong also who thought the dissecting 
of knights was a principal part of the skill of a poet, describing wounds as a 
surgeon. Doubtless he glanced here at Homer's perpetual affectation of this 
sort of knowledge, which certainly debases his poetry. — R. 

33. Unsung: (Being) unsung. 

35. Impresses : Witty devices. 

36. Bases : The mantle which hung down from the middle to about the 
knees, or lower, worn by knights on horseback. — T. 

38. Sewers : Servants who arrange the dishes, from an old French word, 
meaning to set down. Seneschals : Stewards. 
41. Of: Respecting. 



book ix. 367 

That name, unless an age too late, or cold 

Climate, or years, damp my intended wing 45 

Depress'd, and much they may, if all be mine, 

Not hers who brings it nightly to my ear. 

The sun was sunk, and after him the star 
Of Hesperus, whose office is to bring 

Twilight upon the earth, short arbiter 50 

'Twixt day and night, and now from end to end 
Night's hemisphere had veil'd th' horizon round, 
When Satan, who late fled before the threats 
Of Gabriel out of Eden, now improved 

In meditated fraud and malice, bent 55 

On Man's destruction, maugre what might hap 
Of heavier on himself, fearless return 'd 
By night he fled, and at midnight return'd 
From compassing the earth, cautious of day, 
Since Uriel, regent of the sun, descry'd CO 

His entrance, and forewarn'd the Cherubim 
That kept their watch : thence full of anguish driven, 
The space of sev'n continued nights he rode 

45. Or years, damp, $c. : He was near sixty when this poem was pub- 
lished ; and it is surprising that at that time of life, and after such trouble- 
some days as he had passed through, he should have so much poetical fire 
remaining. — N. Intended : Stretched out. 

47. Hers: See line 21. 

49. Hesperus, a brother of Atlas, according to the fabulous account, was a 
great astronomer, who, ascending Mount Atlas to take celestial observations, 
was blown away by a tempest, and seen no more. This gave rise to the 
story that he was transformed into the evening star. 

Another story is, that Hesperus was the son of Aurora, and vied in beauty 
with Venus. On this account the beautiful star of evening received his 
name, and the name of Venus was also applied to the same planet. 

50. Short arbiter, $c. : An expression probably borrowed from the begin- 
ning of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, where, speaking of the sun about the 
time of the equinox, he calls him an indifferent arbiter between the night and 
the day. — N. 

56. Maugre : In spite of. 

59. Cautious : Afraid. 

63. The space, fyc. : It was about noon when Satan came to the earth, and 



368 PARADISE LOST. 

With darkness ; thrice the equinoctial line 

He circled ; four times cross'd the car of night G5 

From pole to pole, traversing each coliire; 

On th' eighth return'd, and on the coast averse 

From entrance or Cherubic watch, by stealth 

Found unsuspected way. There was a place, 

Now not, tho' sin, not time, first wrought the change, 70 

Where Tigris at the foot of Paradise 

Into a gulf shot under ground, till part 

Rose up a fountain by the tree of life : 

In with the river sunk, and with it rose 

having been discovered by Uriel, he was driven out of Paradise the ensuing 
night (Book IV) . From that time he was a whole week in continual dark- 
ness for fear of another discovery. 

63-83. Rode, fyc. : Satan's traversing the globe, and still keeping within 
the shadow of the night, as fearing to be discovered by the angel of the sun 
who had before detected him, is one of those beautiful imaginations with 
which he introduces this his second series of adventures. Having examined 
the nature of every creature, and found out one v hich was most proper for 
his purpose, he again returns to Paradise ; and to avoid discovery, sinks by 
night with a river that ran under the garden, and rises up again through a 
fountain that issued from it by the tree of life. —A. 

64. Thrice with the equinoctial he circled: He travelled on with the night 
three times round the equator ; he was three days moving round from east 
to west as the sun does, but always on the opposite side of the globe in 
darkness. 

65-66. Four times crossed the car of night from jjole to pole : Did not move 
directly on with the night, as before, but crossed over from the northern to 
the southern, and from the southern to the northern pole. 

66. Traversing each colure : As the equinoctial line, or equator, is a great 
circle encompassing the earth from east to west, and from west to east 
again, so the colures are two great circles intersecting each other at right 
angles in the poles of the world, and encompassing the earth from north to 
south and from south to north again ; and. therefore, as Satan was moving 
from pole to pole, at the same time the car of night was moving from east 
to west. If, therefore, he would keep still in the shade of night, as he de- 
sired, he could not move" in a straight line, but must move obliquely, and 
thereby cross the two colures. — N. 

67-8. Averse from entrance: Turned away from, or in a different position 
from that coast, or portion of the earth, by which he had previously entered. 
It was a part, also, over which the Cherubim kept no watch. 



book ix. 369 

Satan involved in rising mist, then sought 75 

Where to lie hid. Sea he had search'd and land 

From Eden over Pontus, and the pool 

Maeotis, up beyond the river Ob ; 

Downward as far antarctic ; and in length 

West from Orontes to the ocean barr'd 80 

At Darien, thence to the land where flows 

Ganges and Indus : thus the orb he roam'd 

With narrow search, and with inspection deep 

Consider'd every creature ; which of all 

Most opportune might serve his wiles, and found 85 

The serpent subtlest beast of all the field. 

Him, after long debate, irresolute 

Of thoughts revolved, his final sentence chose ; 

Fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom 

77. As we had before an astronomical, so here we have a geographical 
account of Satan's peregrinations. — N. 

Pontus : The Black Sea. Pool M&otis, or sea of Asof, a marshy lake 
northeast of the Black Sea and connected with it by the Cimmerian Bos- 
phorus. 06, or Oby : The largest river in Siberia, in Asiatic Russia. 

79. Downward as far antarctic : As far southward. The northern hemis- 
phere being elevated on our globes, the north is called up and the south 
downward. Antarctic, south, the opposite of arctic north (from the Greek 
word for bear) , the most conspicuous constellation near the north pole ; but 
no particular place is mentioned near the south pole, these being all sea, or 
land unknown. And in length: As north is up, and south is down, so in 
length is east or west. — N. 

80. Orontes : A river of Syria, running westward of Eden into the Medi- 
terranean. 

81. Darien : The isthmus of that name, connecting North and South Ameiica, 
and barring the ocean — hindering it from rushing between them. Job 
xxxviii. 10. " And set bars to the sea.' 7 

S6. Subtest beast: Gen. iii. 1. The subtlety of the serpent is commended 
likewise by Aristotle and other naturalists, and, therefore, he was the fitter 
instrument for Satan, because (as Milton says, agreeably to the doctrine of 
the best divines) any sleights in him might be thought to proceed from his 
native wit and subtlety, but, observed in other creatures, might the more 
easily beget a suspicion of a diabolical power acting within them beyond 
their natural sense. — N. 

89. Fittest imp of fraud : Fittest stock to graft his diabolical fraud upon 
Imp is from a Saxon word that signifies, to put into, to graft upon. — H. 



370 PARADISE LOST. 

To enter and his dark suggestions hide 90 

From sharpest sight : for, in the wily snake, 

Whatever sleights, none would suspicious mark, 

As from his wit and native subtlety 

Proceeding, which, in other beasts observed 

Doubt might beget of diabolic power 95 

Active within beyond the sense of brute. 

Thus he resolved ; but first from inward grief 

His bursting passion into plaints thus pour'd : 

Earth, how like to Heav'n, if not preferr'd 
More justly ! seat worthier of (rods ! as built 100 

With second thoughts, reforming what was old ! 
For what God after better worse would build ! 
Terrestrial Heav'n, danced round by other Heav'ns 
That shine, yet bear their bright officious lamps, 
Light above light, for thee alone, as seems, 105 

In thee concentring all their precious beams 
Of sacred influence ! As God in Heav'n 
Is centre, yet extends to all, so thou 
Centring receiv'st from all those orbs; in thee, 
Not in themselves, all their known virtue appears 110 

Productive in herb, plant, and nobler birth 
Of creatures animate with gradual life 
Of growth, sense, reason, all summ'd up in Man. 

99. O Earth, Sfc. : The poet, who speaks as little as possible in his own 
person, and, after the example of Homer, fills every part of his work with 
manners and characters, here introduces a soliloquy of this infernal agent, 
who was thus restless in the destruction of man. — A. 

100. Seat worthier of gods : As it is common with people to undervalue 
what they have forfeited and lost by their folly and wickedness, and to over- 
value any good that they hope to attain ; so Satan is here made to question 
whether earth be not preferable to heaven ; but this is spoken of earth in its 
original beauty before the fall. — N. 

102. After better worse, §c. : A sophistical argument worthy of Satan, and 
for the same reason man would be better than angels ; but Satan was will- 
ing to insinuate imperfection in God, as if he had mended his hand by crea- 
tion, and as if all the works of God were not perfect in their kinds and in 
their degrees, and for the ends for which they were intended. — N. 

104. Officious: Serviceable. 



BOOK IX. 371 

With what delight could I have walk'd thee round, 

If I could joy in aught ! sweet interchange 115 

Of hill and valley, rivers, woods and plains, 

Now land, now sea, and shores with forests crown'd, 

Rocks, dens, and caves ! but I in none of these 

P^ind place or refuge ; and the more I see 

Pleasures about me, so much more I feel 120 

Torment within me, as from the hateful siege 

Of contraries : all good to me becomes 

Bane, and in Heav'n much worse would be my state. 

But neither here seek I, no, nor in Heav'n 

To dwell, unless by mast'ring HeavVs Supreme ; 125 

Nor hope to be myself less miserable 

By what I seek, but others to make such 

As I, though thereby worse to me redound : 

For only in destroying I find ease 

To my relentless thoughts ; and, him destroy'd, 130 

Or won to what may work his utter loss, 

For whom all this was made, all this will soon 

Follow, as to him link'd in weal or woe ; 

In woe then, that destruction wide may range. 

To me shall be the glory sole among 135 

Th' infernal Pow'rs, in one day to have marr'd 

What he, Almighty styled, six nights and days 

Continued making, and who knows how long 

Before had been contriving ? though perhaps 

Not longer than since I in one night freed 140 

From servitude inglorious well nigh half 

1 13. Of growth, sense, reason, <$r. : The three kinds of life rising, as it 
were, by steps : the vegetable, animal and rational ; of all which man partakes 
and he only. He grows, as plants, minerals, and all things inanimate ; he 
lives, as all other animated creatures ; but is, over and above, endued with 
reason. — R. 

119. It means, find place (to dwell in) or refuge from punishment. Com- 
pare 124-25. 

121. Siege: Struggle. 

130. Him: The objective is here used for the nominative case absolute; 
so in Book VII. 142. 



372 PARADISE LOST. 

Th' angelic name, and thinner left the throng 

Of his adorers : he to be avenged. 

And to repair his numbers thus impair'd, 

Whether such virtue spent of old now fail'd 145 

More Angels to create, if they at least 

Are his created ; or, to spite us more, 

Determined to advance into our room 

A creature form'd of earth, and him endow, 

Exalted from so base original, 150 

With heav'nly spoils, our spoils. What he decreed 

He effected ; Man he made, and for him built 

Magnificent this world, and earth his seat, 

Him lord pronounced, and, indignity ! 

Subjected to his service Angel wings, 155 

And flaming ministers, to watch and tend 

Their earthly charge. Of these the vigilance 

I dread, and to elude, thus wrapt in mist 

Of midnight vapour, glide obscure, and pry 

In ev'ry bush and brake, where hap may find 160 

The serpent sleeping, in whose mazy folds 

To hide me, and the dark intent 1 bring. 

O foul descent ! that I, who erst contended 

With Gods to sit the high'st, am now constrain'd 

Into a beast, and mix'd with bestial slime, 165 

This essence to incarnate and imbrute, 

That to the height of deity aspired ! 

But what will not ambition and revenge 

Descend to ? Who aspires, must down as low 



146. If they at least, fyc. : Satan questions whether the angels were 
created by God ; he had before asserted that they were not, to the angels 
themselves, V. 859-861.— N. 

160. Hap: Chance, or accident. 

164-5. The sense is : I am now constrained (forced) into a beast, and, 
mixed with bestial slime, I am constrained to incarnate and imbrute this 
essence which aspired to the height of Deity. 

168. What will not, Sfc. : A practical and important question. 

]C,9. Must down: More energetic than if the verb had been supplied: 



book ix. 373 

As high he soar'd, obnoxious first or last 170 

To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet, 

Bitter ere long back on itself recoils. 

Let it : I reck not, so it light well aim'd, 

Since higher I fall short, on him who next 

Provokes my envy, this new fav'rite 175 

Of Heav'n, this man of clay, son of despite, 

Whom us the more to spite his Maker raised 

From dust. Spite then with spite is best repaid. 

So saying, through each thicket dank or dry, 
Like a black mist low creeping, he held on 180 

His midnight search, where soonest he might find 
The serpent : him fast sleeping soon he foynd, 
In labyrinth of many a round self-roll'd, 
His head the midst, well stored with subtle wiles : 
Nor yet in horrid shade or dismal den, 185 

Nor nocent yet, but on the grassy herb 
Fearless, unfear'd, he slept. In at his mouth 

most sink down. Newton quotes a beautiful instance from Shakspeare, of 
the use of such adverbs for verbs : 

" Henry the Fifth is crowned : up vanity ! 
Down, royal state !" 

173. A truly diabolical sentiment this ! So he can but be any ways re- 
venged, he does not value though his revenge recoil upon himself. — N. 
Let it : Let it recoil. 

175. Since higher, fyc. : That is, since I fall short of a higher object (the 
Almighty) if it light on him who, &c. 

176. There is not, in my opinion, in the whole Book, an}' speech that is 
worked up with greater judgment, or better suited to the character of the 
speaker. There is all the horror and malignity of a fiend-like spirit ex- 
pressed, and yet. this is so artfully tempered with Satan's sudden starts of 
recollection upon the meanness and folly of what he was going to undertake, 
as plainly show the remains of the archangel, and the ruins of a superior 
nature.— Tiiyek. 

179. Through each thicket, fyc. : Satan is here described as gliding through 
the garden, under the resemblance of a mist, in order to find out the crea- 
ture in which he designed to tempt our first parents. This description has 
something in it very poetical and surprising, — A. 

186. Nocent: Injurious. Grassy herb : Virg. JEn. v. 26 : " Graminis her- 
bam." 



374 PARADISE LOST. 

The devil enter'd ; and his brutal sense, 

In heart or head, possessing, soon inspired 

With act intclligential ; but his sleep 190 

Disturb'd not, waiting close th' approach of morn. 

Now when as sacred light began to dawn 
In Eden on the humid flow'rs, that breathed 
Their morning incense, when all things that breathe, 
From th' earth's great altar send up silent praise 195 

To the Creator, and his nostrils fill 
With grateful smell, forth came the human pair, 
And join'd their vocal worship to the choir 
Of creatures wanting voice : that done, partake 
The season, prince for sweetest sents and airs ; 200 

Then commune how that day they best may ply 
Their growing work : for much their work outgrew 
The hands' dispatch of two gard'ning so wide : 
And Eve first to her husband thus began : 

Adam, well may we labour still to dress 205 

This garden, still to tend plant, herb, and flow'r, 
Our pleasant task enjoin'd ; but till more hands 

192-204. j3s sacred light began, fyc. : The description of the morning, here 
given, is wonderfully suitable to a divine poem, and peculiar to that first 
season of nature. The author represents the earth, before it was cursed, as 
a great altar breathing out its incense from all parts, and sending up a plea- 
sant savour to the nostrils of the Creator, to which he adds a noble idea of 
Adam and Eve offering their morning worship, and filling up the universal 
concert of praise and adoration. — A. 

Sacred light : The morning often is called sacred by the poets, because that 
time is usually allotted to sacrifice and devotion. — N. 

197. With grateful smell : This is in the style of Eastern poetry. So it is 
said, Gen. viii. 21, "The Lord smelled a sweet savour." 

200. Prime for sweetest sents, fyc : Sents, now spelled, less properly, scents. 
Milton here writes from experience, being an early riser, as we learn from his 
•Apology for Smectymnus : l: My morning haunts are where they should be, at 
home, not sleeping or concocting the surfeits of an irregular feast, but up and 
stirring ; in winter, often ere the sound of any bell awake men to labour, or 
to devotion ; in summer, as oft with the bird that first rises, or not much tar- 
dier, to read good authors, or cause them to be read, till the attention be 
weary, or memory have its full fraught." 



BOOK IX. 375 

Aid us, the work under our labour grows, 
Luxurious by restraint ; what we by day 

Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind, 210 

One night or two with wanton growth derides 
Tending to wild. Thou therefore now advise, 
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present : 
Let us divide our labours ; thou where choice 
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind 215 

The woodbine round this arbour, or direct 
The clasping ivy where to climb ; while I 
In yonder spring of roses, intermix'd 
With myrtle, find what to redress till noon : 
For while so near each other thus all day 220 

Our task we choose, what wonder if so near 
Looks intervene and smiles, or object new 
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits 
Our day's work brought to little, though begun 
Early, and th' hour of supper comes unearn'd. 225 

To whom mild answer Adam thus return'd: 

212. Wild: Wildness. 213. Bear : Entertain. 

218. Spring of roses : Small thicket, or coppice of roses. 

219. Redress : Set right, improve. 

221. So near: The repetition so near, is extremely beautiful, and naturally 
comes in here, as the chief intent of Eve's speech was to persuade Adam to 
let her go from him : she therefore dwells on so near, as the great obstacle to 
their working to any purpose. — Stillingfleet. 

223. Intermits : Causes to cease for a time. 

226. To whom mild answer, fyc. : The dispute here carried on between our 
two first parents is represented with great art. It proceeds from a difference 
of judgment, not of passion, and is managed with reason, not with heat. It 
is such a dispute as we may suppose might have happened in Paradise, had 
man continued happy and innocent. There is a great delicacy in the moralities 
which are interspersed in Adam's discourse, and which the most ordinary 
reader cannot but take notice of. That force of love which the father of 
mankind so finely describes in the Eighth Book, shows itself here in many 
fine instances ; as in those fond regards which he casts towards Eve at her 
parting from him, 399-400 ; in his impatience and amusement during her 
absence; but particularly in that passionate speech (S96-916) where, seeing 
her irrecoverably lost, he resolves to perish with her rather than to live 
without her. — A. 



376 PARADISE LOST. 

Sole Eve, associate sole ; to me beyond 

Compare above all living creatures dear, 

Well hast thou motion'd, well thy thoughts employ'd 

How we might best fulfil the work which here 230 

God hath assign'd us ; nor of me shalt pass 

Unpraised : for nothing lovelier can be found 

In woman, than to study household good, 

And good works in her husband to promote. 

Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed 235 

Labour, as to debar us when we need 

Refreshment, whether food, or talk between, 

Tood of the mind, or this sweet intercourse 

Of looks and smiles ; for smiles from reason flow, 

To brute denied, and are of love the food ; 240 

Love, not the lowest end of human life. 

For not to irksome toil, but to delight 

He made us, and delight to reason join'd. 

These paths and bow'rs doubt not but our joint hands 

Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide 245 

As we need walk, till younger hands ere long 

Assist us : but if much converse perhaps 

Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield ; 

For solitude sometimes is best society, 

227. Sole Eve, associate sole : Thou only Eve, thou only associate — sole is 
an epithet of endearment. 

228. Beyond compare : Beyond comparison. We have before noticed that 
Milton sometimes uses the substantive for an adjective, and an adjective for 
a substantive. Here we may observe that sometimes he makes a verb of a 
noun, and again a noun of a verb : a noun of a verb, as here ; also in VI. 549, 
disturb he uses for disturbance. And a verb of a noun, as in VII. 412, " tempest 
the ocean." And in like manner he makes the adjective a verb, as in VI. 440 : 

" . . . . To better us and worse our foes :" 
and again the verb an adjective, as in VIII. 576, " made so adorn.'' 1 — N. 

239. Smiles from reason flow : Smiling is so great an indication of reason, 
that some philosophers have altered the definition of man from animal ra- 
tionale to risibi/c, affirming man to he the only creature endowed with the 
power of laughter. — H. 

245. Wilderness : State of disorder. 

249. For solitude, tyc. : A most valuable remark, and worthy of being often 



book ix. 377 

And short retirement urges sweet return. 250 

But other doubt possesses me, lest harm 

Befall thee, severed from me ; for thou know'st 

What hath been warn'd us ; what malicious foe, 

Envying our happiness, and of his own 

Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame 255 

By sly assault ; and somewhere nigh at hand 

Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find 

His wish and best advantage, us asunder ; 

Hopeless to circumvent us join'd, where each 

To other speedy aid might lend at need. 260 

Whether his first design be to withdraw 

Our fealty from God, or to disturb 

Conjugal love, than which perhaps no bliss 

Enjoy'd by us excites his envy more ; 

Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side 265 

That gave thee being, still shades thee, and protects. 

The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks, 

Safest and seemliest by her husband stays ; 

Who guards her, or with her the worst endures. 

To whom the virgin majesty of Eve, 270 

As one who loves, and some unkindness meets, 
With sweet austere composure thus replied : 

Offspring of Heav'n and Earth, and all Earth's Lord, 
That such an enemy we have, who seeks 

Our ruin, both by thee inform'd I learn, 275 

And from the parting Angel overheard, 
As in a shady nook I stood behind, 

practised. It was a saying of Scipio, " Nunquam minus solus quam cum so- 
lus,''" which means, "Never less alone than when alone." 

270. The virgin majesty of Eve : The ancients used the word virgin with 
more latitude than we. Virgil calls Pasiphae virgin after she had three chil- 
dren. It is here put to denote beauty, bloom, sweetness, modesty, and all the 
amiable characters which are usually found in a virgin, and these with ma- 
tron majesty. What a picture ! — R. 

277. This occurred a week before the present interview. After Satan fled 
from Paradise (end of Book IV.) we have no account of Adam and Eve ex- 
cept on the first day after; on which day Eve (Book V.) relates ber dream, 



378 PARADISE LOST. 

Just then return 'd at shut of ev'ning flow'rs. 

But that thou should'st my firmness therefore doubt 

To God or thee, because we have a foe 280 

May tempt it, I expected not to hear. 

His violence thou fear'st not, being such 

As we, not capable of death or pain, 

Can either not receive, or can repel. 

His fraud is then thy fear : which plain infers 285 

Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love 

Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced ? 

Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy breast, 

Adam, mis-thought of her to thee so dear ? 

To whom with healing words Adam replied : 290 

Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve, 
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire : 
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade 
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid 

Th' attempt itself, intended by our foe. 295 

For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses 
The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed 
Not incorruptible of faith, not proof 
Against temptation. Thou thyself with scorn 
And anger would'st resent the ofFer'd wrong, 300 

Raphael comes down from Heaven, and discourses with Adam till evening 
and the account of their parting is given at the end of Book VIII. Satan has 
now returned to Paradise after an absence of seven days. No account, there- 
fore, is given of Adam and Eve from the first of those days till now on the 
seventh. 

278. Nothing can be more beautifully natural than the hour of return being 
fixed by the closing of the flowers. — S. 

285. Fraud : Deceit. Thy fear : The object of thy fear. 

288-89. Thoughts .... mis-thought, fyc. : Wrongly thoughtof her to thee so 
dear (according to thine own account, 227). 

291. Daughter of God and Man: As Eve had called Adam (273) offspring 
of Heaven and Earth, as made by God out of the dust of the earth, so Adam 
calls Eve daughter of God and Man, as made by God out of man ; and ac- 
knowledges her to be immortal, as she had said herself (283) that they were 
not capable of death or pain, but only so long as she was entire from sin and 
blame; integer vitae, scelerisque purus, Hor. Od. i. 22. 1. — N. 



BOOK IX. 379 

Though ineffectual found : misdeem not then, 

If such affront I labour to avert 

From thee alone, which on us both at once 

The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare, 

Or daring, first on me th' assault shall light. 305 

Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn ; 

Subtle he needs nvist be who could seduce 

Angels ; nor think superfluous other's aid. 

I from the influence of thy looks receive 

Access in ev'ry virtue ; in thy sight 310 

More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were 

Of outward strength ; while shame, thou looking on, 

Shame to be overcome or over-reach'd 

Would utmost vigour raise, and raised unite 

Why should'st not thou like sense within thee feel 315 

When I am present, and thy trial choose 

With me, best witness of thy virtue tried ? 

So spake domestic Adam, in his care 
And matrimonial love : but Eve, who thought 
Less attributed to her faith sincere, 320 

Thus her reply with accent sweet renew'd : 

If this be our condition, thus to dwell 
In narrow circuit straighten'd by a foe, 
Subtle or violent, we not endued 

Single with like defence, wherever met, 325 

How are we happy, still in fear of harm ? 
But harm precedes not sin : only our foe 

301. Misdeem not : Think it not wrong. 

310. Jlccess : Accession, increase. 

312. Thou looking on : An example of the nominative case absolute. 

314. Raised unite: Would unite, or concentrate, that vigour of intellectual 
and moral character when raised. 

315. Sense: Sensation. 

318. Domestic Mam : Adam fond of the family state, and devoted to its 
best interests. 

320. Less attributed, <$-e. : That is, less than there should be ; an instance 
of conformity to the Latin idiom. 



3S0 PARADISE LOST. 

Tempting, affronts us with his foul esteem 

Of our integrity : his foul esteem 

Sticks no dishonour on our front, but turns 330 

Foul on himself: then wherefore shunn'd or fear'd 

By us ? who rather double honour gain 

From his surmise proved false, find peace within, 

Favour from Heav'n, our witness from th' event. 

And what is faith, love, virtue unessay'd 335 

Alone, without exterior help sustain'd ? 

Let us not then suspect our happy state 

Left so imperfect by the Maker wise, 

As not secure to single or combined. 

Frail is our happiness, if this be so, 340 

And Eden were no Eden thus exposed. 

To whom thus Adam fervently replied : 
Woman, best are all things as the will 
Of God ordain 'd them ; his creating hand 

Nothing imperfect or deficient left 345 

Of all that he created, much less Man, 
Or aught that might his happy state secure, 
Secure from outward force. Within himself 
The danger lies, yet lies within his pow'r : 

328. Esteem : Opinion, estimation. Jlffronts literally means to encounter 
face to face (ad frontem, to the front, or face) , and Milton had this in mind 
when he wrote (330) , no dishonour on our front, but turns foul (dishonour) 
on himself. Shakspeare often uses the word in its most literal sense. 

334. Witness : Testimony, proof. 

335-36. What merit is there in any virtue till it has stood the test alone, 
and without other assistance? — R. 

339. As not to be secure to us single or together. — N. 

342. Fervently replied — woman, §c. : Throughout this whole conversa- 
tion, which the poet has in every respect worked up to a faultless perfection, 
there is the most exact observance of justness and propriety of character. 
With what strength is the superior excellency of man's understanding here 
pointed out, and how nicely does our author here sketch out the defects pe- 
culiar in general to the female mind ! And after all, what great art has he 
shown in miking Adam, contrary to his better reason, grant the request of 
his spouse, beautifully verifying what he had made our general ancest'' i - , a 
little while before, observe to the angel ! VIII. 546, &c. — Thyer. 



BOOK IX. 381 

Against his will he can receive no harm. 350 

But God left free the will ; for what obeys 

Reason is free, and reason he made right ; 

But bid her well be ware, and still erect, 

Lest by some fair-appearing good surprised, 

She dictate false, and misinform the will 355 

To do what God expressly hath forbid. 

Not then mistrust but tender love enjoins, 

That I should mind thee oft ; and mind thou me. 

Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve, 

Since reason not impossibly may meet 360 

Some specious object by the foe suborn'd, 

And fall into deception unaware, 

Not keeping strictest watch, as she was warn'd. 

Seek not temptation then ; which to avoid 

Were better, and most likely if from me 365 

Thou sever not : trial will come unsought. 

Would'st thou approve thy constancy, approve 

First thy obedience ; th' other who can know ? 

Not seeing thee attempted, who attest ? 

But if thou think, trial unsought may find 370 

Us both securer than thus warn'd thou seem'st, 

Go : for thy stay, not free, absents thee more. 

Go, in thy native innocence, rely 

On what thou hast of virtue, summon all, 

353. Be ware : These words, the latter of which is here an adjective, are 
now usually printed as one word, forming a verb. Erect is an adjective in 
this sentence, connected with ware. 

36& Mind: Remind. 361. Suborned: Unfairly procured. 

365. Likely: Probable. 367. Approve: Prove. 

372. Go ; for thy stay, not free, §c. : It is related of Milton's first wife. Ma it 
Powell, that she had not cohabited with him above a month, before she was 
very desirous of returning to her friends in Oxfordshire, there to spend the 
remainder of the summer. We may suppose that, upon this occasion, their 
conversation was somewhat of the same nature as Adam and Eve's ; and it 
Wiis upon some such considerations as this, that after much solicitation he 
permitted her to go. It is the more probable that he alluded to his own case 
in this account of Adam and Eve's parting, as, in the account of their recon- 
ciliation, it will appear that he copied exactly what happened to himself. — N. 



382 PARADISE LOST. 

For God tow'rds thee hath done his part ; do thme. 375 

So spake the patriarch of mankind : but Eve 

Persisted ; yet submiss, though last, replied : 
With thy permission then, and thus forewarn'd 

Chiefly by what thy own last reas'ning words 

Touch'd only, that our trial, when least sought, 380 

May find us both perhaps far less prepared, 

The willinger I go ; nor much expect 

A foe so proud will first the weaker seek : 

So bent, the more shall shame him his repulse. 

Thus saying, from her husband's hand her hand 385 

Soft she withdrew, and, like a Wood-Nymph light, 

Oread, or Dryad, or of Delia's train, 

Betook her to the groves ; but Delia's self 

In gait surpass'd, and Goddess-like deport, 

Though not as she with bow and quiver arm'd, 390 

But with such gard'ning tools as art yet rude, 

Guiltless of fire, had form'd, or Angels brought. 

To Pales, or Pomona, thus adorn'd, 

Likest she seem'd ; Pomona when she fled 

Vertumnus, or to Ceres in her prime, 395 

Yet virgin of Proserpina from Jove. 

377. Submiss : Submissive. 

385. From her husband's hand, fyc. : A pleasing image. Notwithstanding 
this difference of judgment, while Adam is reasoning and arguing with Eve, 
he still holds her by the hand, which she gently withdraws, a little impatient 
to be gone, even while she is speaking. And then, like a wood-nymph light, 
Oread, a nymph of the mountains, or Dryad, a nymph of the groves, of the 
oaks particularly, or of Delia's train, the train of Diana, called Delia from 
the circumstance that she was born in the island Delos, she betook her to the 
groves ; but she surpassed not only Diana's nymphs, but Diana herself (in her 
gait and deportment) , though she wears different ensigns (,390-91) such as art 
yet rude, guiltless of fire had formed, before fire was as yet stolen from Heaven 
by Prometheus, as the ancients fabled, or such tools as angels brought. — N. 

389. Deport: Demeanour. 

394-95. Under the name of Vertumnus, an old Italian prince, who probably 
introduced the art of gardening, was honoured after death as a god. The 
Romans considered him as specially presiding over the fruit of trees. His 
wife was Pomona, one of the Hamadryads (or nymphs of the trees) , a god- 



book ix. 383 

Her long with ardent look his eye pursued, 

Delighted ; but desiring more her stay. 

Oft he to her his charge of quick return 

Repeated ; she to him as oft engaged 400 

To be return'd by noon amid the bow'r, 

And all things in best order to invite 

Noontide repast, or afternoon's repose. 

O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve, 

Of thy presumed return ! event perverse ! 405 

Thou never from that hour in Paradise 

Found'st either sweet repast or sound repose ! 

Such ambush hid among sweet flow'rs and shades 

Waited with hellish rancour imminent 

To intercept thy way, or send thee back 410 

Despoil'd of innocence, of faith, of bliss. 

For now, and since first break of dawn, the Fiend, 

Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come, 

dess of gardens and fruits, whose love he gained at last after changing him- 
self into many forms ; from which circumstance his name (Ov. Met. xiv. 
623) was derived. — Fiske. 

Pales was an Italian goddess who presided over cattle. While Eve resem- 
bled Diana in her majestic gait, she more resembled the rural goddesses Pales, 
Pomona, and Ceres in her equipments, thus adorned likest she seemed, ^c. She 
resembled these in beauty, in the office of gardening, and in the act of carry- 
ing the implements of that art. 

395. Ceres : A goddess to whom were ascribed the discovery and improve- 
ment of agriculture ; also, the establishing of laws and the regulation of civil 
society. 

396. The meaning is, When yet a virgin, before the birth of Proserpina, 
who descended from Jove. The mode of expression is borrowed from clas- 
sical writers, and is quite elliptical. 

404-5. That is, much failing of thy presumed return. These beautful apos- 
trophes and anticipations are frequent in the poets, who affect to speak like 
men inspired with the knowledge of futurity, JEn. x. 501. There is some- 
thing very moving in such reflections concerning the vanity of all human 
hopes, and how little events answer our expectations. — N. 

412-13. The fiend, mere serpent, §c. : The several wiles which are put in 
practice by the tempter, when he found Eve separated from her husband ; 
the many pleasing images of nature which are intermixed in this part of the 
story, with its gradual and regular progress to the fatal catastrophe, are so 



384 PARADISE LOST. 

And on his quest, where likeliest he might find 

The only two of mankind, but in them 415 

The whole included race ; his purposed prey. 

In bow'r and field he sought, where any tuft 

Of grove or garden-plot more pleasant lay, 

Their tendence or plantation for delight : 

By fountain, or by shady rivulet 420 

He sought them both ; but wish'd his hap might find 

Eve separate ; he wish'd, but not with hope 

Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish, 

Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies, 

Veil'd in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood, 425 

Half spied, so thick the roses blushing round 

About her glow'd, oft stooping to support 

Each flow'r of slender stalk, whose head, though gay 

Carnation, purple, azure, or speck'd with gold, 

Hung drooping unsustain'd : them she upstays 430 

Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while 

Herself, though fairest unsupported flow'r, 

From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh. 

Nearer he drew ; and many a walk traversed 

Of stateliest covert, cedar, pine, or palm, 435 

Then voluble and bold, now hid, now seen 

Among thick-woven arborets and flow'rs 

Imborder'd on each bank, the hand of Eve : 

Spot more delicious than those gardens feign'd 

Or of revived Adonis, or renown'd 440 



very remarkable, that it would be superfluous to point out their respective 
beauties. — A. 

419. Tendance: Care. 

431. Mindless: Not thinking of. 

436. Voluble: Active. 437. Arborets: Shrubs. 

438. Imbordered on each bank : Forming the border of each bank. The 
hand : The product of the hand of Eve, so far as care and dressing were 
concerned. 

440. Adonis: See Book I. 445. Revived: He was fabled to have been re- 
stored to life by Venus. 



BOOK IX. 38?> 

Alcinous, host of old Laertes' son, 

Or that, not mystic, where the sapient king 

Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian spouse. 

Much he the place admired ; the person more. 

As one who long in populous city pent, 445 

Where houses thick, and sewers annoy the air 

Forth issuing on a summer's morn to breathe 

Among the pleasant villages and farms 

Adjoin'd, from each thing met conceives delight ; 

The smell of grain, or tedded grass, or kine, 4f)0 

Or dairy, each rural sight, each rural sound : 

If chance with nymph-like step fair virgin pass, 

What pleasing seem'd, for her now pleases more, 

She most, and in her look sums all delight. 

Such pleasure took the Serpent to behold 455 

This flow'ry plat, the sweet recess of Eve 

Thus early, thus alone. Her heav'nly form 

Angelic, but more soft and feminine, 

Her graceful innocence, her ev'ry air 

Of gesture or least action, overawed 460 

His malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved 

His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought. 

That space the Evil One abstracted stood 

441. Laertes 1 son: Ulysses, who, on his return from Troy, was generously 
entertained by King Alcinous, the proprietor of a celebrated garden. Pliny 
tells us that there was nothing which the ancients more admired than the 
gardens of the Hesperides, and those of Alcinous and Adonis. To such as 
these Milton compares that particular part of Paradise, more delicious than 
any other, upon which the tasteful Eve had employed the labour of her 
hands. 

442-43. Or that, not mystic: Not fabulous as the rest ; not allegorical as 
sorre have fancied; but a real garden, which Solomon made for his wife, the 
daughter of PharaoL, king of Egypt. See Canticles. And thus, as the 
most beautiful countries in the world (IV. 268-285) could not vie with Para- 
dise, so neither could the most delicious gardens equal this flowery plat, the 
sweet recess of Eve (IX. 450) . — N*. 

450. Tedded grass : Grass just mowed, and spread for drying. — R. 

452. Chance : By chance. 

463—64. Abstracted stood from his own evil, 4"''- • This passage is pre-emi- 
nently beautiful, and of extiaordinary originality. — E. B. 
17 Y 



386 PARADISE LOST. 

From his own evil, and for the time remain M 

Stupidly good ; of enmity disarmed, 465 

Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge ; 

But the hot Hell that always in him burns, 

Though in mid Heaven, soon ended his delight, 

And tortures him now more, the more he sees 

Of pleasure not for him ordain'd. Then soon 470 

Fierce hate he recollects ; and all his thoughts 

Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites : 

Thoughts, whither have ye led me! With what sweet 
Compulsion thus transported to forget 

What hither brought us ! hate, not love, nor hope 475 

Of Paradise for Hell, hope here to taste 
Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy, 
Save what is in destroying : other joy 
To me is lost. Then let me not then let pass 
Occasion which now smiles. Behold alone 480 

The woman, opportune to all attempts, 
Her husband, for I view far round, not nigh, 
Whose higher intellectual more I shun, 
And strength, of courage haughty, and of limb 
Heroic built, though of terrestrial mould, 485 

Foe not informidable, exempt from wound, 
I not ; so much hath Hell debased, and pain 
Enfeebled me, to what I was in Heav'n. 
She fair, divinely fair, fit love for Gods ; 

468. Though in mid Heaven : That is, though he were transported to the 
midst of Heaven ; or, it may be understood as implying, that he sometimes 
was in Heaven — an interpretation sanctioned by Job, i. 6 ; ii. 1 ; and by a 
passage in Paradise Regained, I. 366 : 

" nor from the Heaven of heavens 

Hath he excluded my resort sometimes," &c. 

472. Gratulating : Employing a lively style of address, thus excites all 
his thoughts of mischief. 

478. Other joy to me is lost : Corresponding with the sentiment attributed 
to him in Book IV. 110: 

" Evil be thou my good," &c. 

481. Opportune, §c. : Favourably situated for all attempts. 
489. Love : Object of love. 



book xx. 387 

Not terrible, though, terror be in love 490 

And beauty, not approach'd by stronger hate, 
Hate stronger, under show of love well feign'd ; 
The way which to her ruin now I tend. 

So spake th' enemy of mankind, inclosed 
In serpent, inmate bad, and toward Eve 495 

Address'd his way, not with indented wave, 
Prone on the ground, as since, but on his rear, 
Circular base of rising folds, that tower'd 
Fold above fold a surging maze, his head 

Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes ; 500 

With burnish 'd neck of verdant gold, erect 
Amidst his circling spires, that on the grass 
Floated redundant. Pleasing was his shape, 
And lovely : never since the serpent kind 
Lovelier : not those that in Illyria changed 505 

490. Though terror, $c. : That is, though an awe-inspiring majesty be in 
love (amiableness) and beauty (when\ not approached by stronger hate, a 
hatred which overpowers such majesty, and causes it to be disregarded ; hate 
stronger, shown to be the stronger, under show, fyc, that is, from the disguise 
of well-feigned love, which I have assumed. 

496. Mdress'd : Directed. With indented wave : With a motion in and 
out, like the teeth of a saw. 

499. Fold above fold, §c. : Our author has not only imitated Ovid, but has 
ransacked all the good poets who have ever made a remarkable description 
of a serpent. — N. 

504. Satan is not here compared, and preferred to the finest and most 
memorable serpents of antiquity — the Python and the rest ; but only to the 
most memorable of those serpents into which others were transformed, and 
with the greater propriety, as he was himself now transformed into a ser- 
pent. And in this view it is said that none were lovelier — not those that 
in Illyria changed Hermione and Cadmus (that is, varied their external form; 
for these persons still retained their sense and memory as Ovid relates, just 
as Satan was Satan still when enclosed in the form of a serpent) . 

This Cadmus, together with his wife Hermione, or Harmonia (as some- 
times written) , leaving Thebes in Bucotia, which he had founded, and for 
diverse misfortunes quitted, and coming into Illyria, they were both turned 
into serpents, for having slain one sacred to Mars (Ovid, Met. Book IV.) 
— N. 

50ii. Not those : Not those serpents were more beautiful that, &c. 



^88 PARADISE LOST 

Hermione and Cadmus, or the God 

In Epidaurus ; nor to which transform 'd 

Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline was seen ; 

He with Olympias, this with her who bore 

Scipio the hight of Rome. With tract oblique 510 

At first, as one who sought access, but fear'd 

To interrupt, sidelong he works his way. 

As when a ship by skilful steersman wrought, 

Nigh river's mouth or foreland, where the wind 

Veers oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her sail, 515 

So varied he, and of his tortuous train 

Curl'd many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve, 

To lure her eye : she busied, heard the sound 

Of rustling leaves, but minded not, as used 

To such disport before her through the field 520 

From ev'ry beast ; more duteous at her call 

Than at Circean call the herd disguised. 

506-7. Or the god in Epidaurus : That is, jEsculapius the god of physic, 
the son of Apollo, who was worshipped at Epidaurus, a city of Pelopon- 
nessus, and being sent for to Rome, in the time of a plague, assumed the form 
of a serpent and accompanied the ambassadors (Livy, Book XI. ; Ovid, Met. 
Book XV.) ; but though he was thus changed in appearance, he was still 
^Esculapius. In serpente Deus, as Ovid calls him, XV. 670 ; the Deity in a 
serpent, and under that form continued to be worshipped at Rome. — N. 

507. Nor were those serpents lovelier, to which transformed Ammonian 
Jove, or Capitoline was seen (to which Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline 
was seen transformed) . The first was the Lybian Jupiter (called Amnion, 
from a Greek word signifying sand) : the other the Roman, called Capitoline 
from the Capitol, his temple, at Rome. 

509. He with Olympias : The first ; the pretended father of Alexander the 
Great, was fabled to have conversed with Alexander's mother, Olympias, in 
the form of a serpent. 

509-10. This with her who bore Scipio the hight of Rome: The latter, fabled 
in like manner, to have been the father of Scipio Africanus, who raised his 
country and himself to the highest pitch of glory. — N. 

522. Circean call : Circe, a famous sorceress, residing upon an island on the 
western coast of Italy. All persons who landed on her island, by tasting 
her magic cup, were changed into the appearance of swine, and subject to 
her control. These are the herd disguised, alluded to by Milton. Homer, 
Odyss. x. 231-243; Virg. Mn. vii. 10-20. The fable illustrates the brutal- 
izing influences of sensual indulgences. 



book ix. 389 

He bolder now, uncall'd, before ber stood, 

But as in gaze admiring, oft he bow'd 

His turret crest and sleek enamel M neck, 525 

Fawning, and lick'd tbe ground whereon she trod. 

His gentle dumb expression turn'd at length 

The eye of Eve to mark his play. He, glad 

Of her attention gain'd, with serpent-tongue 

Organic, or impulse of vocal air, 530 

His fraudulent temptation thus began : 

Wonder not, sov'reign Mistress, if perhaps 
Thou canst, who art sole wonder ; much less arm 
Thy looks, the Heav'n of mildness, with disdain, 
Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze 535 

Insatiate, I thus single, nor have fear'd 
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retired. 
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair ! 
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine 
By gift, and thy celestial beauty adore 540 

With ravishment beheld ! there best beheld 
Where universally admired : but here 
In this inclosure wild, these beasts among, 
Beholders rude, and shallow to discern 

Half what in thee is fair, one man except, 545 

Who sees thee ? (and what is one ?) who should'st be seen 
A Goddess among Gods, adored and serv'd 
By Angels numberless, thy daily train. 

So glozed the Tempter, and his proem tuned ; 

530. Organic, or impulse of vocal air : That the Devil moved the serpent's 
tongue, and used it as an instrument to form the tempting speech he made to 
Eve, is the opinion of some; that he formed a voice by impression of the 
sounding air, distant from the serpent, is that of others, of which our author 
has left the curious to their choice. — H. 

531. This speech is similar to that(V. 37) which Satan had made to her 
in her dream, and it had a fatal effect. To cry her up as a goddess, was the 
readiest way to make her a mere mortal. — N. 

537. Retired: Secluded. 

549. Glozed: Flattered. Proem tuned; Skilfully suited his introduction 
to the end in view. 



390 PARADISE LOST. 

Into the heart of Eve his words made way, 550 

Though at the voice much marvelling. At length, 
Not unamazed, she thus in answer spake : 

What may this mean ? Language of man pronounced 
By tongue of brute, and human sense express'd ! 
The first at least of these I thought denied 555 

To beasts, whom God on their creation-day 
Created mute to all articulate sound : 
The latter I demur ; for in their looks 
Much reason, and in their action oft appears. 
Thee, Serpent, subtlest beast of all the field, 560 

I knew, but not with human voice endued. 
Redouble then this miracle, and say, 
How cam'st thou speakable of mute ; and how 
To me so friendly grown above the rest 

Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight ! 565 

Say ! for such wonder claims attention due. 

To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied : 
Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve, 
Easy to me it is to tell thee all 

What thou command'st ; and right thou should'st be obey'd. 
I was at first as other beasts that graze 570 

The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low, 
As was my food : nor aught but food discern'd, 
Or sex, and apprehended nothing high ; 

Till on a day roving the field, I chanced 575 

A goodly tree far distant to behold, 
Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mix'd, 
Ruddy and gold. I nearer drew to gaze ; 
When from the boughs a savoury odour blown, 
Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense 580 

Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats 

558. The latter I demur : Compared with lines 554-55, this phrase seems 
to mean : Of the latter's being denied, I doubt ; in other words, I doubt 
whether human sense is denied altogether to beasts. 

563. Speakable of mute : Capable of speaking, having been previously- 
dumb. 



BOOK IX. 391 

Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at ev'n, 

Unsuck'd of lamb or kid, that tend their play. 

To satisfy the sharp desire I had 

Of tasting those fair apples, I resolved 5S5 

Not to defer ; hunger and thirst at once 

(Pow'rful persuaders) quicken'd at the scent 

Of that alluring fruit, urged me so keen. 

About the mossy trunk I wound me soon, 

For high from ground the branches would require 590 

Thy utmost reach or Adam's : Round the tree 

All other beasts that saw, with like desire 

Longing and envying stood, but could not reaeh. 

Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung 

Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill 595 

I spared not ; for such pleasure till that hour 

At feed or fountain never had I found. 

Sated at length, ere long I might perceive 

Strange alteration in me, to degree 

Of reason in my inward pow'rs, and speech 600 

Wanted not long, though to this shape retain'd. 

Thenceforth to speculations high or deep 

I turn'd my thoughts, and with capacious mind, 

Consider'd all things visible in Heav'n, 

Or Earth, or Middle ; all things fair and good : 605 

But all that fair and good in thy divine 

Semblance, and in thy beauty's heav'nly ray 

United I beheld. No fair to thine 

Equivalent or second ; which compell'd 

Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come 610 

And gaze, and worship thee, of right declared 

583. Tend : Are attentive to. 

597. Feed : Time, or act of eating ; meal. 

599-601. To degree of reason: To the higher state of reason, &c. ; to 
that degree in which I was endowed with reason. Wanted : I wanted. 
605. Middle : Space between Heaven and Earth. 
607. Semblance: Form. 

610. Importune: Unseasonable, or troublesome. 
17* 



392 PARADISE LOST. 

Sov'reign of creatures, universal Dame. 

So talk'd the spirited sly Snake ; and Eve, 
Yet more amazed, unwary, thus replied : 

Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt 615 

The virtue of that fruit, in thee first proved. 
But say, where grows the tree ? from hence how far ? 
For many are the trees of God that grow 
In Paradise, and various, yet unknown 

To us, in such abundance lies our choice, 620 

As leaves a greater store of fruit untouch'd, 
Still hanging incorruptible, till men 
Grow up to their provision, and more hands 
Help to disburden Nature of her birth. 

To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad : 625 

Empress the way is ready, and not long ; 
Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat, 
Fast by a fountain, one small thicket past 
Of blowing myrrh and balm. If thou accept 
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon. 630 

Lead then, said Eve. He leading swiftly roll'd 
In tangles, and made intricate seem straight, 
To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy 
Brightens his crest ; as when a wand'ring fire. 

612. Dame: Formerly a term of great respect, and title of hcnour. Mil- 
ton here uses it as synonymous with queen in line 684. 

613. Spirited: Actuated by a spirit, or intelligent mind. 

615. Over- praising was no indication of the reason he claimed to have 
acquired by eating the fruit. 

616. Prov'd: Tried. 

623. Up to their provision : To such a number as to be able to consume 
what the trees provide. 

630. Conduct : Guidance. 

632. In tangles : In a complicated manner. 

634—42. Hope elevates, §c. : This similitude is not only very beautiful, but 
the closest in the whole poem, where the serpent is described as rolling for- 
ward in all his pride, animated by the evil spirit, and conducting Eve to her 
destruction, while Adam was at too great a distance from her to give her his 
assistance; all these particulars being wrought into the similitude. — A. 



book ix. 3y3 

Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night 635 

Condenses, and the cold environs round, 

Kindled through agitation to a flame, 

Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends, 

Hov'ring and blazing with delusive light, 

Misleads th' amazed night-wand'rer from his way 

To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool, 640 

There swallow'd up and lost, from succour far : 

So glister'd the dire Snake, and into fraud 

Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree 

Of prohibition, root of all our woe ! 645 

Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spake : 

Serpent, we might have spared our coming hither, 
Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to excess, 
The credit of whose virtue rest with thee, 
Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects. 650 

But of this tree we may not taste nor touch ; 
God so commanded, and left that command 
Sole daughter of his voice : the rest, we live 
Law to ourselves ; our reason is our law. 

To whom the Tempter guilefully replied : 655 

Indeed ! Hath God then said, that of the fruit 
Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat, 
Yet Lords declared of all in earth or air ? 

To whom thus Eve, yet sinless : Of the fruit 
Of each tree in the garden we may eat : 660 

But of the fruit of this fair tree amidst 
The garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat 

635. Compact : Composed, consisting. 636. Cold : Cold air. 

643. Glister'd : Shone, sparkled. Fraud : Hurt, injury ; used by Milton 
in the Latin signification, JEn. x. 72. 

644. Tree of prohibition : Hebrew form of expression for "prohibited 
tree." 

647. A play upon the word fruit, used figuratively in the first instance. 

653. Daughter of his voice : A beautiful Hebraistic form of expression, to 
denote precept or command — the utterance of the voice. Sole daughter : The 
only command given to our first parents. The rest : A classical idiom for as 
to other things. 



394 PARADISE LOST. 

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold 
The Tempter, but with show of zeal and love 665 

To Man, and indignation at his wrong, 
New part puts on, and as to passion moved, 
Fluctuates disturb'd, yet comely, and in act 
Raised, as of some great matter to begin. 

As when of old some orator renown'd 670 

In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence 
Flourish'd, since mute, to some great cause address'd 
Stood in himself collected, while each part, 
Motion, each act won audience, ere the tongue, 
Sometimes in hight, began, as no delay 675 

Of preface brooking through his zeal of right : 
So standing, moving, or to hight up grown, 
The Tempter, all impassion'd, thus began : 

sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving Plant, 
Mother of science, now I feel thy pow'r 680 

Within me clear, not only to discern 
Things in their causes, but to trace the ways 
' Of highest agents, deem'd however wise. 
Queen of this universe, do not believe 

Those rigid threats of death : ye shall not die. C85 

How should ye ? by the fruit ? It gives you life 
To knowledge ; by the threat'ner ? Look on me, 
Me who have touch'd and tasted, yet both live, 
And life more perfect have attain'd than fate 
Meant me, by venturing higher than my lot. 690 

Shall that be shut to Man, which to the Beast 
Is open ? or will God incense his ire 
For such a petty trespass, and not praise 
Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain 

674. Motion : Each is understood before this word 
676. Brooking : Enduring no delay of preface, &c. 

685. Ye shall not die : Our author artfully continues to make the serpent 
confirm this statement by a reference to his own case- 
687. To knowledge : (In addition) to knowledge. 



book ix. 395 

Of death denounced, whatever thing death he, 695 

Deterr'd not from achieving what might lead 

To happier life, knowledge of good and evil ! 

Of good, how just ! of evil, if what is evil 

Be real, why not known, since easier shunn'd ? 

God therefore cannot hurt ye and be just : 700 

Not just, not God ; not fear'd then, nor obey'd : 

Your fear itself of death removes the fear. 

Why then was this forbid r Why but to awe, 

Why but to keep ye low and ignorant, 

His worshippers. He knows that in the day 705 

Ye eat thereof, your eyes that seem so clear, 

Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then 

Open'd and clear'd, and ye shall be as Gods, 

Knowing both good and evil as they know. 

That ye shall be as Gods, since I as Man, 710 

Internal Man, is but proportion meet ; 

702. Your fear, fyc. : Justice is inseparable from the very being and 
essence of God, so that could he be unjust, he would be no longer God, and 
then neither to be obeyed nor feared ; so that the fear of death, which does 
imply injustice in God, destroys itself, because God can as well cease to be, 
as cease to be just : a Satanic syllogism. — H. 

708-9. Satan's language is so constructed that while he meant one thing, 
she would naturally understand another. By B opening the eyes" she under- 
stood a farther and higher degree of wisdom ; but he meant it of their per- 
ceiving their own misery and feeling remorse of conscience. By "being 
as Gods" (Elohim) , she probably understood the being elevated almost to an 
equality with the Deity himself in point of knowledge and dignity ; but he 
probably meant it of their being brought to the condition of the angels that 
fell, as angels are sometimes styled Elohim, Ps. viii. 6. By " knowing good and 
evil," she doubtless understood a kind of divine omniscence ; whereas h 3 
meaning was, that they should have a woeful experience of the difference be- 
tween good and evil, or between happiness and misery, such as he himself 
had. The same equivocal charactei distinguished the responses of the ancient 
oracles, which were probably the special engines of Satan ; and wicked de- 
ceivers in all ages have employed the same diabolical subtlety in the use of 
double senses, to compass their ends, concealing the essence of a lie under 
the semblance of the truth. — Bush. 

710-11. Since I (have become) as man, internal man: That is, intellectu- 
ally. 



396 PARADISE LOST. 

I, of brute, human ; ye, of human, Gods. 
So ye shall die perhaps, by putting off 
Human, to put on Gods ; death to be wish'd, 
Tho' threaten'd, which no worse than this can bring. 715 

And what are Gods, that Man may not become 
As they, participating Godlike food ? 
The Gods are first, and that advantage use 
On our belief, that all from them proceeds. 
I question it ; for this fair earth I see, 720 

Warm'd by the sun, producing ev'ry kind ; 
Them nothing. If they all things, who inclosed 
Knowledge of good and evil in this tree, 
That whoso eats thereof, forthwith attains 

Wisdom without their leave ? and wherein lies 725 

Th' offence, that Man should thus attain to know ? 
What can your knowledge hurt him, or this tree 
Impart against his will, if all be his ? 
Or is it envy ? And can envy dwell 

In heav'nly breasts ? These, these, and many more 730 

Causes, import your need of this fair fruit. 
Goddess humane, reach then, and freely taste. 
He ended, and his words, replete with guile, 
Into her heart too easy entrance won. 

Fix'd on the fruit she gazed, which to behold 735 

Might tempt alone ; and in her ears the sound 
Yet rung of his persuasive words, impregn'd 
With reason, to her seeming, and with truth : 

712. / (who am) of brute (animals, have become) human; ye (who are) 
of human (beings, shall become) gods. 

713. So : That is, by putting off, &c. 

714. To put on gods : To become like gods. 

722. Them nothing : I see them (producing) nothing. If they (produced) all 
things, &c. See line 719. 

729-30. Can envy, fyc. : Suggested to the poet very probably by the well- 
known interrogatory at the opening of the ^Eneid, " Tant rne animis co.les- 
tibus irae ?" 

731. Import: Indicate. 

738. To her seeming : To her apprehension, or. as seemed to her. 



BOOK IX. 397 

Meanwhile the hour of noon drew on, and waked 

An eager appetite, raised by the smell 740 

So savoury of fruit, which with desire, 

Inclinable now grown to touch or taste, 

Solicited her longing eye ; yet first, 

Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused : 

Great are thy virtues, doubtless, best of fruits, 745 

Though kept from man, and worthy to be admired, 
Whose taste, too long forborn, at first assay 
Gave elocution to the mute, and taught 
The tongue not made for speech to speak thy praise. 
Thy praise he also, who forbids thy use, 750 

Conceals not from us, naming thee the tree 
Of knowledge, knowledge both of good and evil : 
Forbids us then to taste ; but his forbidding 
Commends thee more, while it infers the good 
By thee communicated, and our want : 755 

For good unknown, sure is not had ; or had 
And yet unknown, is as not had at all. 
In plain then, what forbids he but to know ; 
Forbids us good ! forbids us to be wise ! 

Such prohibitions bind not. But if death 760 

Bind us with after-bands, what profits then 
Our inward freedom ? In the day we eat 
Of this fair fruit, our doom is, we shall die. 
How dies the Serpent ? he hath eaten and lives, 
And knows, and speaks, and reasons, and discerns : 765 

Irrational till then. For us alone 
Was death invented ? or to us denied 
This intellectual food, for beasts reserved ? 

740. An eager appetite : This is a circumstance beautifully added by our 
author to the Scripture account, in order to make the folly and impiety of 
Eve appear less extravagant and monstrous. — N. 

742. Inclinable : Somewhat disposed. 

750. Thy praise : Thy worthiness of praise. 

658. In plain then : In plain (language) then. 

761. After-bands: Future links. 



398 PARADISE LOST. 

For beasts it seems ; yet that one beast which first 

Hath tasted, envies not, but brings with joy 770 

The good befall'n him, author unsuspect, 

Friendly to man, far from deceit or guile. 

What fear T then ? Rather, what know to fear 

Under this ignorance of good and evil, 

Of God or death, of law or penalty ? 775 

Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine, 

Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste, 

Of virtue to make wise. What hinders then 

To reach, and feed at once both body and mind ? 

So saying, her rash hand, in evil hour, 780 

Forth reaching to the fruit, she pluck'd, she eat ! 
Earth felt the wound ; and Nature from her seat 
Sighing, through all her works gave signs of woe, 
That all was lost ! Back to the thicket slunk 
The guilty Serpent, and well might, for Eve, 785 

Intent now wholly on her taste, nought else 
Regarded ; such delight till then, as seem'd, 
In fruit she never tasted, whether true 
Or fancy'd so, through expectation high 

Of knowledge ; nor was Godhead from her thought. 790 

Greedily she ingorged without restraint 
And knew not eating death. Satiate at length, 
And heighten'd as with wine, jocund, and boon, 
Thus to herself she pleasingly began : 

771. Author unsuspect: Relater (of the good befallen him) not to be sus- 
pected. 

781-5. So saying, fyc. : When Dido,- in the fourth ^Eneid, 166-68, yielded 
to that fatal temptation which ruined her, Virgil tells us the earth trembled, 
the heavens were filled with flashes of lightning, and the nymphs howled 
upon the mountain-tops. Milton, in the same poetical spirit, has described 
all nature as disturbed upon Eve's eating- the forbidden fruit. — A. 

792. Knew not eating death •' Knew not (she was) eating that which was the 
procuring cause ot death. 

794. Thus to herself, fyc. : As our author had, in the preceding conference 
betwixt our first parents, described, with the greatest art and decency, the 
subordination and inferiority of the female character in the strength of rea- 
son and understanding, so in this soliloquy of Eve's, after tasting the forbid- 



book ix. 399 

sov'reigD, virtuous, precious of all trees 795 

In Paradise, of operation blest 
To sapience, hitherto obscured, infamed, 
And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end 
Created ; but henceforth my early care, 

Not without song, each morning, and due praise, 800 

Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease 
Of thy full branches, offer'd free to all ; 
Till, dieted by thee, I grow mature 
In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know ; 
Though others envy what they cannot give ; 805 

For had the gift been theirs, it had not here 
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe, 
Best guide ; not following thee I had remain'd 
In ignorance : thou open'st Wisdom's way, 
And giv'st access, though secret she retire. 810 

And I perhaps am secret • Heav'n is high, 

den fruit, one may observe the same judgment, in his varying and adapting 
it to the condition of her fallen nature. Instead of those little defects in her 
intellectual faculties before ihe fall, which were sufficiently compensated by 
her outward charms, and were rather softening than blemishes in her cha- 
racter, we see her now running into the greatest absurdities, and indulging 
the wildest imaginations. — Thyer. 

795. Virtuous : Efficacious. Precious of all trees : Most precious, &c. ; 
the positive degree, as is common in the ancient classics, being used for the 
superlative. 

796-97. Of operation blest to sapience : Of happy operation, or influence, to 
wisdom — that is, for the imparting of wisdom. Infamed : Defamed. 

801. Tend: Take care of. Ease: Lighten. 

805. Though others envy, 4r. : She means the gods, though for decency's 
sake she names them not. She is now arrived at that pitch of impiety, 
that she attributes envy to the gods, as Satan had taught her (729) , and ques- 
tions whether this tree was their gift, as Satan had likewise suggested (718) : 
such impression had his doctrines made on her. — N. 

807. I owe, best guide: To thee, Experience, my best guide, I am next in- 
debted. Experience (derived from the act of tasting) is here personified, 
and is used in the nominative case independent, the word " guide" being in 
apposition. 

810. Secret : Though she retire into a secret place. 

811. Am secret : She questions even God's omniscience, and flatters her- 



400 PARADISE LOST. 

High and remote, to see from thence distinct 

Each thing on earth, and other care perhaps 

May have diverted from continual watch 

Our great Forbidder, safe with all his spies 815 

About him. But to Adam, in what sort 

Shall I appear ? Shall I to him make known 

As yet my change, and give him to partake 

Full happiness with me, or rather not, 

But keep the odds of knowledge in my pow'r 820 

Without copartner ? so to add what wants 

In female sex, the more to draw his love, 

And render me more equal, and perhaps, 

A thing not undesirable, sometime 

Superior ; for inferior, who is free ? 825 

This may be well ; but what if God have seen, 

And death ensue ? Then I shall be no more ; 

And Adam, wedded to another Eve, 

Shall live with her enjoying ; I extinct. 

A death to think ! Confirm 'd then, I resolve 830 

Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe : 

So dear I love him, that with him all deaths 

I could endure ; without him live no life. 

So saying, from the tree her step she turn'd : 
But first low rev'rence done, as to the Pow'r 835 

self that she is still in secret, like other sinners, who say, " The Lord shall 
not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it," Ps. xciv. 7. — N. 

812. High: Too high, &c. 

815. Safe: Beyond the power to harm — not to be dreaded; rather an un- 
usual sense of the word, as in the familiar phrases, " I have him safe ;" " he 
is safe asleep." 

818. To give to partake : An expression similar to what is found in Latin 
authors and Greek. Horn. Iliad, i. 18; Virg. JEn. i. 65, 79, 522; also in 
Milton, I. 736; III. 243. 

824-25. Sometime superior : The thought of attaining the superiority over 
her husband, is very artfully made one of the first that Eve entertains after 
eating the forbidden fruit ; but still her love of Adam, and jealousy of another 
Eve, prevail even over that ; so just is the observation of Solomon, Cant, 
viii. 6 : u Love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave." — N. 

835. But first low rev'renre. §c. : This first sign of idolatry in man, is well 



BOOK IX. 401 

That dwelt within, whose presence had infused 

Into the plant sciential sap, derived 

From nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while 

Waiting, desirous her return, had wove 

Of choicest flow'rs a garland, to adorn 840 

Her tresses, and her rural labours crown, 

As reapers oft are wont their harvest-queen. 

Great joy he promised to his thoughts, and new 

Solace in her return, so long delay'd ; 

Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill, 845 

Misgave him : he the falt'ring measure felt ; 

And forth to meet her went, the way she took 

That morn when first they parted. By the tree 

Of knowledge he must pass : there he her met, 

Scarce from the tree returning : in her hand 850 

A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smiled, 

introduced as an immediate consequence of the fall. The remaining portion 
of this Book may be considered, I think, as in some respects superior to any 
other part of the poem. The mention of Adam, unconscious of the coming 
woe, weaving flowers for Eve, is exquisitely pathetic ; the misgivings of his 
heart on meeting her, the description of her agitated appearance, and the 
discourse, deep and passionate, which follows, are all conceived in the finest 
vein of tragic genius. In no other part of his poem had Milton an oppor- 
tunity of displaying his power in the delineation of human passion, but he 
has here proved, that, had his subject admitted it, it would have possessed 
not less pathos than sublimity. — S. 

838. Adam the while, fyc. : Andromache is thus described as amusing her- 
self, and preparing for the return of Hector, not knowing that he was 
already slain by Achilles, Horn. Iliad, xxii. 440, &c. — N. 

845. Divine of something ill : Foreboding or suspecting ill ; a Latin phrase, 
as in Hor. Od. iii. 27 : 10 : 

" Imbrium dirina avis imminentium." 

N. 

8-16. He the faltering measure felt : This phrase may be interpreted either 
in a moral or physical sense : in the first, it would mean, that he had a pre- 
sentiment of the faulty act of his absent partner, for the primary, though 
now obsolete meaning of the word faltering, is defective, faulty. The other 
sense is thus given by Patrick Hume. He found his heart kept not true 
time; he felt the false and intermitting measure — the natural description of 
our minds foreboding ill, by the unequal beatings of the heart and pulse. 

851. That downy smiled: That covered with soft down, looked sweetly. 

z 



402 PARADISE LOST. 

New gather'd, and ambrosial smell diffused. 

To him she hasted. In her face excuse 

Came prologue, and apology too prompt, 

Which with bland words at will she thus address'd : S55 

Hast thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay ? 
Thee I have miss'd, and thought it long, deprived 
Thy presence ; agony of love till now 
Not felt ! nor shall be twice ; for never more 
Mean I to try, what rash untried I sought, 860 

The pain of absence from thy sight ! But strange 
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear. 
This tree is not, as we are told, a tree 
Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown 

Opening the way, but of divine effect 865 

To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste ! 
And hath been tasted such. The serpent wise, 
Or not restrain'd as we, or not obeying, 
Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become, 

Not dead, as we are threaten'd, but thenceforth 870 

Endued with human voice and human sense, 
Reasoning to admiration ; and with me 
Persuasively hath so prevail'd, that I 
Have also tasted, and have also found 

Th' effects to correspond ; opener mine eyes, 875 

Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart, 
And growing up to Godhead ; which for thee 
Chiefly I sought ; without thee can despise : 
For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss ; 

Virg. Eccl. ii. 51. " And ambrosial smell diffused;" a translation of Virg. 
Georg. iv. 415. — H. 

854. Prologue : As an introduction to the discourse that followed. A pro- 
logue is a term generally appropriated to the speech or ode that is delivered 
just before a play commences. Hence the fitness of it to express the above 
idea. 

864. Tasted: (When) tasted. 

875. Opener mine eyes : More open are mine eyes. 

876. Dilated spirits : Animal vigour or excitability is increased. 
879. As: As far as, or, to what extent. 



BOOK IX. 403 

Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon. 880 

Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot 

May join us, equal joy, as equal love ! 

Lest thou not tasting, different degree 

Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce 

Deity for thee, when Fate will not permit. 885 

Thus Eve, with count'nance blithe, her story told; 
But in her cheek distemper flushing glow'd. 
On th' other side, Adam, soon as he heard 
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed, 

Astonied stood and blank, while horror chill 890 

Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd ; 
From his slack hand the garland, wreath'd for Eve, 
Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed. 
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length, 
First to himself, he inward silence broke : 895 

fairest of creation, last and best 
Of all God's works, Creature in whom excell'd 
Whatever can to sight or thought be form'd, 
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet ! 

How art thou lost ! how on a sudden lost ! 900 

Defaced, deflowVd, and now to death devote ! 
Rather, How hast thou yielded, to transgress 
The strict forbiddance ? how to violate 
The sacred fruit forbidden ? Some cursed fraud 



890-91. Blank, Sfc. : Virg. JEn. ii. 120 
Also, xii. 951 : 



" Obstupuere animis, gelidusque per ima cucurrit 
Ossa tremor." 



" Illi solvuntur frigore membra." 

H. 

892-3. Down dropt : The beauty and expressiveness of the numbers, as 
well as the beauty of the image here, must strike every reader. — N. 

901. Devote: Devoted. " Devota morti pectora libera 5 ," Hor. Od. iv. 
14: 18. 

This line is a good example of alliteration : defaced, deflowered, devote. The 
ancient poets were fond of this peculiarity of diction. Among the moderns 
Dryden regarded it as a great attainment in the art of versification. In the 
use of it Milton but seldom indulged, and has thus shown his good taste 



404 PARADISE LOST. 

Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown, 905 

And me with thee hath ruin'd ! for with thee 

Certain my resolution is to die. 

How can I live without thee ! how forego 

Thy sweet converse and love so dearly join'd, 

To live again in these wild woods forlorn ! 910 

Should God create another Eve, and I 

Another rib afford, yet loss of thee 

Would never from my heart. No, no, I feel 

The link of nature draw me : flesh of flesh, 

Bone of my bone thou art ; and from thy state 915 

Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe. 

So having said, as one from sad dismay 
Recomforted, and after thoughts disturb'd 
Submitting to what seem'd remediless, 
Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turn'd : 920 

Bold deed thou hast presumed, advent'rous Eve, 
And peril great provoked, who thus hast dared, 
Had it been only coveting to eye 
That sacred fruit, sacred to abstinence, 

Much more to taste it, under ban to touch. 925 

But past who can recall, or done undo ? 
Not God omnipotent, nor Fate : yet so 
Perhaps thou shalt not die ; perhaps the fact 

909. So dearly joined: The line may be thus interpreted : The sweet con- 
verse and love of thee, so dearly joined to me. 

910. Wild woods forlorn : How vastly expressive are these words, of 
Adam's tenderness and affection for Eve, as they imply that the mere ima- 
gination of losing her had already converted the sweets of Paradise into the 
horrors of a desolate wilderness. — Thyer. 

913. Would never be absent from, fyc. 

920. Thus, Sfc. : He had, till now, been speaking to himself. Now his 
speech turns to Eve, but not with violence — not with noise and rage. It is 
a deep, considerate melancholy. The line cannot be pronounced but as it 
ought — slowly, gravely. — R. 

925. Ban: Prohibition. 

928. Perhaps thou shalt not die: How just a picture does Milton here give 
us of the natural imbecility of the human mind, and its aptness to be warped 



BOOK IX. 405 

Is not so heinous now, foretasted fruit, 

Profaned first by the serpent, by him first 930 

Made common and unhallow'd ere our taste ; 

Nor yet on him found deadly, he yet lives ; 

Lives, as thou saidst, and gains to live as Man 

Higher degree of life : inducement strong 

To us, as likely tasting, to attain 935 

Proportional ascent, which cannot be 

But to be Gods, or Angels, Demi-Gods. 

Nor can I think that God, Creator wise, 

Though threat'ning, will in earnest so destroy 

Us his prime creatures, dignify'd so high, 940 

Set over all his works, which in our fall, 

For us created, needs with us must fail, 

Dependent made : so God shall uncreate, 

Be frustrate, do, undo, and labour lose, 

Not well conceived of God, who tho' his pow'r 945 

Creation could repeat, yet would be loth 

Us to abolish, lest the Adversary 

Triumph and say, Fickle their state whom God 

Most favours : who can please him long ? Me first 

He ruin'd, now Mankind. Whom will he next ? 950 

Matter of scorn, not to be giv'n the Foe. 

However, I with thee have fix'd my lot, 

Certain to undergo like doom. If death 

Consort with thee, death is to me as life : 

So forcible within my heart I feel 955 

into false judgments and reasonings by passion and inclination. Adam had 
but just condemned the action of Eve in eating the forbidden fruit, and yet, 
drawn by his fondness for her, immediately summons all the force of his 
reason to prove what she had done to be right — a proof of our author's ex- 
quisite knowledge of human nature. Reason, too often, is but little better 
than a slave, ready, at the beck of the will, to dress up in plausible colours 
any opinions that our interest or resentment have made agreeable to us. — 
Thyer. 

935. Jls likely tasting : That is, since there was a probability that we 
would taste. 

944. Frustrate: Disappointed. 



406 PARADISE LOST. 

The bond of nature draw me to my own, 
My own in thee ! for what thou art is mine ! 
Our state cannot be severed ; we are one, 
One flesh. To lose thee were to lose myself. 

So Adam ; and thus Eve to him replied : 960 

glorious trial of exceeding love ! 
Illustrious evidence ! example high ! 
Engaging me to emulate, but, short 
Of thy perfection, how shall I attain, 

Adam ? from whose dear side I boast me sprung, 965 

And gladly of our union hear thee speak, 
One heart, one soul in both ; whereof good proof 
This day affords, declaring thee resolved, 
Rather than death or aught than death more dread 
Shall separate us, link'd in love so dear, 970 

To undergo with me one guilt, one crime, 
If any be, of tasting this fair fruit, 
Whose virtue (for of good still good proceeds, 
Direct, or by occasion) hath presented 

This happy trial of thy love, which else 975 

So eminently never had been known. 
Were it I thought death menaced would ensue 
This my attempt, I would sustain alone 
The worst, and not persuade thee : rather die 
Deserted, than oblige thee with a fact 980 

Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly assured 
Remarkably so late of thy so true, 
So faithful love, unequaPd ; but I feel 
Far otherwise th' event ; not death, but life 
Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys, 985 

969. Rather than death: Rather than that death, &c. 

977. Were it that I thought, $c. 

980. Oblige thee with a fact : Bind thee with a deed — that is, in plainer 
language, bind thee to punishment on account of this act. See Hor. Od. ii. 
8: 5: 

'• Sed tu simul obligasti 
Perfidum votis caput." 

984. Event : Event (will be) . 



BOOK IX. 407 

Taste so divine, that what of sweet before 

Hath touch'd my sense, flat seems to this, and harsh. 

On my experience, Adam, freely taste ; 

And fear of death deliver to the winds. 

So saying, she embraced him, and for joy 990 

Tenderly wept ; much won that he his love 
Had so ennobled, as of choice t 1 incur 
Divine displeasure for her sake, or death. 
In recompense (for such compliance bad 

Such recompense best merits) from the bough 995 

She gave him of that fair enticing fruit 
With liberal hand : he scrupled not to eat 
Against his better knowledge ; not deceived, 
But fondly overcome, with female charm. 
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again 1000 

In pangs ; and Nature gave a second groan ; 
Sky lour'd, and, muttering thunder, some sad drops 
Wept at completing of the mortal sin 
Original ; while Adam took no thought, 

Eating his fill ; nor Eve to iterate 1005 

Her former trespass fear'd, the more to sooth 
Him with her loved society, that now, 



989. Winds : A proverbial expression. See Hor. Od. i. 26 : 1 : 

" Tristitiam et metus 

Tradam protervis in mare Creticum 
Portare ventis.'' 

990. There is great beauty, and the truest passion, in this picture of Eve. 
It well prepares the mind for the fall of Adam, who is represented as sin- 
ning more through the intoxication of love and fondness, than any ignorance 
of his danger. — S. 

998-99. Paul declares " Adam was not deceived, but the woman," &c, 
1 Tim. ii. 14. He is charged, Gen. iii. 17, with hearkening to the voice of 
his wife, in view of which we may say with Virgil, JEi\. iv. 412 : 
" Improbe amor, quid non mortalia pectora cogis ?" 

997-1003. He scrupled not, §c. : When Adam participated with his wife 
in guilt, the whole creation is a second time convulsed. Compare note on 
780. As all nature suffered by the guilt of our first parents, these symptoms 
of trouble and consternation are wonderfully imagined, not only as prodigies, 
but as marks of her sympathizing in the fall of man. — A. 



408 PARADISE LOST, 

As with new wine intoxicated both, 

They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel 

Divinity within them breeding wings 1010 

Wherewith to scorn the earth : but that false fruit 

Far other operation first display'd, 

Carnal desire inflaming : he on Eve 

Began to cast lascivious eyes ; she him 

As wantonly repaid. In lust they burn : 1015 

Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move : 

Eve, now I see thou art exact of taste, 
And elegant, of sapience no small part, 
Since to each meaning savour we apply, 

And palate call judicious. I the praise 1020 

Yield thee, so well this day thou hast purvey'd. 
Much pleasure we have lost while we abstain'd 
From this delightful fruit, nor known till now 
True relish, tasting. If such pleasure be 
In things to us forbidd'n, it might be wish'd, 1025 

For this one tree had been forbidden ten. 
But come, so well refresh 'd, now let us play, 
As meet is, after such delicious fare ; 
For never did thy beauty since the day 

I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorn'd 1030 

With all perfections, so inflame my sense 
With ardour to enjoy thee ; fairer now 

1008. Intoxicated, §c. : The secret intoxication of pleasure, with all those 
transient flushings of guilt and joy, which the poet represents in our first 
parents upon their eating the forbidden fruit, and those flaggings of spirit, 
those damps of sorrow, and mutual accusations which succeed it, are con- 
ceived with a wonderful imagination, and described in very natural senti- 
ments. — A. 

1017-20. Exact and elegant corporeal taste is here pronounced to be no small 
part of sapience, since sapience (or savour) has the meaning of taste as well 
as of wisdom, or good sense. We also give to the palate (the organ of taste) 
the epithet judicious, an epithet which is applied more commonly to an in- 
tellectual act. Sapience and savour are derived from the same root, sapio, ana 
are used by Milton in this passage as synonymous. The primary mean- 
ing of sapio is, to have a taste or relish, to savour : the derivative meaning is 
to be wise, to be possessed of judgment. Thus to the palate as well as to the 
understanding savour is applied (1019.) 



BOOK IX. 4 ! ': 

Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree. 

So said he ; and forbore not glance or toy 
Of amorous intent : well understood 1035 

Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire. 
Her hand he seized, and to a shady bank, 
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbower'd, 
He led her, nothing loth. Flow'rs were the couch, 
Pansies, and violets, and asphodel, 1040 

And hyacinth, earth's freshest softest lap. 
There they their fill of love and love's disport 
Took largely, of their mutual guilt the seal, 
The solace of their sin, till dewy sleep 

Oppress'd them, wearied with their amorous play. 1045 

Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, 
That with exhilarating vapour bland 
About their spirits had play'd, and inmost pow'rs 
Made err, was now exhaled, and grosser sleep 
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams 1050 

Incumber'd, now had left them, up they rose 
As from unrest, and each the other viewing, 
Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds 
How darken'd. Innocence, that as a veil 
Had shadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone ; 
Just confidence, and native righteousness, 1055 

1033. Virtuous tree: Tree having powerful properties, or producing great 
effects. 

1034. Toy, §c. : Sport. What a striking contrast does this description of the 
amorous follies of our first parents, after the fall, make to that lively picture 
of the same passion in its state of innocence in the preceding Book, 510. — 
Thyer. 

1045. The preceding passage is principally copied from Homer, and would 
be exceptionable did it not form part of the moral of the poem. 

That which seems in Homer an impious fiction, becomes a moral lesson in 
Milton, since he makes that lascivious rage of the passions the immediate 
effect of the sin of our first parents after the fall. — N. 

1049. Grosser sleep, fyc. : Very unlike the sleep they enjoyed in a state of 
innocence, V. 3-5. 

1055. Knowing ill : Being conscious of ill, or of ill-doing. 
IS 



410 PARADISE LOST. 

And honour from about them, naked left 

To guilty shame ; he cover'd, but his robe 

Uncover'd more. So rose the Danite strong, 

Herculean Samson, from the harlot-lap 10C0 

Of Philistean Dalilah, and waked 

Shorn of his strength ; they destitute and bare 

Of all their virtue : silent, and in face 

Confounded long they sat, as stricken mute, 

Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd, 1065 

At length gave utt'rance to these words, constrain'd : 

Eve ! in evil hour thou didst give ear 
To that false worm, of whomsoever taught 
To counterfeit Man's voice ; true in our fall, 
False in our promised rising ! Since our eyes 1070 

Open'd we find indeed, and find we know 
Both good and evil ; good lost, and evil got ! 
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know, 
Which leaves us naked thus, of honour void, 
Of innocence, of faith, of purity, 1075 

Our wonted ornaments now soil'd and stain'd, 
And in our faces evident the signs 
Of foul concupiscence ; whence evil store ; 
E'en shame, the last of evils : of the first 

1057. From about them (was gone). 

1058. He covered: Shame covered. Shame is here personified. 

1059. Samson was of the tribe of Dan. So rose: As rose, &c. 

1067. O Eve in evil hour, §c. : As this whole transaction between Adam 
and Eve is manifestly copied from the episode of Jupiter and Juno on Mount 
Ida (Iliad xiv. ', as it has many of the same circumstances, and often the very 
words translated, so it concludes exactly after the same manner, in a quarrel. 
Adam awakes much in the same humour as Jupiter, and their cases are 
somewhat parallel : they are both overcome by their fondness to their wives, 
and are sensible of their error too late, and then their love turns to resent- 
ment, and they grow angry with their wives, when they should rather have 
been angry with themselves for their weakness in hearkening to them. — N. 

10G8. False worm: That is, serpent. It is a general name for the reptile 
kind, as in VII. 476.— N. 

1078. Whence evil store : Whence there is a store, or abundance of evils. 



BOOK IX. 411 

Be sure then. How shall I behold the face 10S0 

Henceforth of God or Angel, erst with joy 

And rapture so oft beheld ? those heav'nly shapes 

Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze, 

Insufferably bright ! might I here 

In solitude live savage, in some glade 1085 

Obscured, where highest woods impenetrable 

To star or sun-light, spread their umbrage broad, 

And brown as ev'ning ! Cover me, ye Pines ; 

Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs 

Hide me, where I may never see them more ! 1090 

But let us now as in bad plight, devise 

What best may for the present serve to hide 

The parts of each from other, that seem most 

To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen ; 

Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sew'd, 1095 

And girded on our loins, may cover round 

Those middle parts, that this new comer, Shame, 

There sit not, and reproach us as unclean. 

So counsel'd he ; and both together went 
Into the thickest wood ; there soon they chose 1100 

The fig-tree ; not that kind for fruit renown'd, 
But such as at this day, to Indians known 
In Malabar or Deccan, spreads her arms 

1095. Leaves together sewed, fyc. : The sacred text, Gen. iii. 7, says that 
they sewed Jig leaves together, and Milton adheres to the Scripture expression 
(in our translation) , which has given occasion to the sneer. What could they 
do for needles and thread ? But the original Hebrew text signifies no more 
than they twisted (tied or fastened) the young twigs of the fig-tree round 
about their waists, in the manner of a Roman crown (laurel wreath worn 
about the head) ; for which purpose the fig-tree, more than all others, espe- 
cially in those Eastern countries, was the most serviceable, because it has, 
as Pliny says, lib. xvi. cap. 26, folium maximum, umbrosissimumque, the 
greatest and most shady leaf. Our author follows the best commentators in 
supposing that this was the Indian fig-tree, the account of which he borrows 
from Pliny, lib. xii. cap. 5, as Pliny had from Theophrastus. It was not that 
kind for fruit renown'd, and Pliny says that the largeness of the leaves hin- 
dered the fruit from growing. — N. 

1103. Malabar: The southwestern coast of the peninsula of Hindostan. 



412 PARADISE LOST. 

Branching so broad and long, that in the ground 

The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow 1105 

About the mother-tree, a pillar'd shade 

High over-arch'd, and echoing walks between : 

There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat, 

Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds 

At loop-holes cut through thickest shade. Those leaves 1110 

They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe, 

And with what skill they had together sew'd, 

To gird their waist. Vain covering, if to hide 

Their guilt and dreaded shame ! how unlike 

To that first naked glory ! Such of late 1115 

Columbus found th' American, so girt 

With feather'd cincture, naked else and wild 

Among the trees on isles and woody shores. 

Thus fenced, and as they thought, their shame in part 

Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind / 1120 

They sat them down to weep ; not only tears 

Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within 

Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate, 

Mistrust, suspicion, discord, and shook sore 

Their inward state of mind : calm region once 1125 

And full of peace, now tost and turbulent ; 

For understanding ruled not, and the will 

Heard not her lore, both in subjection now 

To sensual appetite, who from beneath 

Usurping over sov'reign reason, claim'd 1130 

Superior sway. From thus distemper'd breast, 

Adam, estranged in look and alter'd style, 

Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd : 

Deccan : the remainder of that peninsula, stretching from the Nubuddah River 
to Cape Comorin. 

1104-10. A beautiful and concise description, founded on Pliny's account, 
of the banyan ;or fig tree. There is in India a tree of this kind measuring 
two thousand feet in circumference, and boasting of thirteen hundred and fifty 
trunks. 

1 117. Feathered cincture: A girdle of feathers. 

1128. Lore: Lea n 



BOOK IX. 4i3 

Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd 
With me, as I besought thee, when that strange 1135 

Desire of wand'ring this unhappy morn, 
I know not whence, possess'd thee ; we had then 
Remain'd still happy, not, as now, despoil'd 
Of all our good, shamed, naked, miserable. 
Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve 1140 

The faith they owe : when earnestly they seek 
Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail. 

To whom, soon moved with touch of blame, thus Eve : 
What words have pass'd thy lips, Adam, severe! 
Imput'st thou that to my default, or will 1145 

Of wand'ring, as tbou call'st it, which who knows 
But might as ill have happen'd thou being by, 
Or to thyself perhaps ? Hadst thou been there, 
Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have discern'd 
Fraud in the Serpent, speaking as he spake ; 1150 

No ground of enmity between us known, 
Why he should mean me ill, or seek to harm. 
Was I to have never parted from thy side ? 
As good have grown there still, a lifeless rib ! 
Being as I am, why didst not thou, the head, 1155 

Command me absolutely not to go, 
Going into such danger as thou saidst ? 
Too facile then thou didst not much gainsay, 
Nay, didst permit, approve, and fair dismiss. 
Hadst thou been firm and fix'd in thy dissent, 1160 

Neither had I transgress'd, nor thou with me. 

To whom then, first incensed, Adam replied : 
Is this the love, is this the recompense 
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, express'd 
Immutable when thou wert lost, not I ; 1165 

1140. Approve: Prove, put to the test; as Eve had boasted (335). 
1149. Or here the attempt had been made. 1141. Faith: Fidelity. 
1158. Facile: Easy. 1159. Fair: Courteously. 

1162. First incensed: As Adam is now first angry, his speech is abrupt and 
his sentences broken. — N 



414 PARADISE LOST. 

Who might have lived and joy'd immortal bliss, 

Yet willingly chose rather death with thee ? 

And am I now upbraided as the cause 

Of thy transgressing ? not enough severe, 

It seems, in thy restraint. What could I more ? 1170 

I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold 

The danger, and the lurking enemy 

That lay in wait. Beyond this had been force ; 

And force upon free-will hath here no place. 

But confidence then bore thee on, secure 1175 

Either to meet no danger, or to find 

Matter of glorious trial ; and perhaps 

I also err'd in overmuch admiring 

What seem'd in thee so perfect, that I thought 

No evil durst attempt thee ; but I rue 1180 

That error now, which is become my crime, 

And thou th' accuser. Thus it shall befall 

Him who, to worth in woman overtrusting, 

Lets her will rule. Restraint she will not brook ; 

And left to herself, if evil thence ensue, 1185 

She first his weak indulgence will accuse. 

Thus they in mutual accusation spent 
The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning : 
And of their vain contest appear'd no end. 

1166. Joy'd: Enjoyed. 

1170. In thy restraint: In the restraint of thee. 

1183. In woman: This reading is preferable to Bishop Newton's (women) 
and approved by him ; but, further, it has the authority of Milton himself 
V. 232-34. 



BOOK X. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

Man's transgression known, the guardian angels forsake Paradise, and re- 
turn up to Heaven to approve their vigilance, and are approved, God declaring 
that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He sends his 
Son to judge the transgressors, who descends and gives sentence accordingly ; 
then in pity clothes them both, and re-ascends. Sin and Death, sitting till 
then at the gates of Hell, by wondrous sympathy feeling the success of Satan 
in this new world, and the sin by Man there committed, resolve to sit no 
longer confined in Hell, but to follow Satan, their sire, up to the place of Man. 
To make the way easier from Hell to this world to and fro, they pave a 
broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first 
made ; then, preparing for Earth, they meet him, proud of his success, re- 
turning to Hell ; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium ; in 
full assembly relates with boasting his success against Man ; instead of ap- 
plause, is entertained with a general hiss by all his audience, transformed 
with himself also suddenly into serpents, according to his doom given in 
Paradise ; then, deluded with a show of the forbidden tree springing up before 
them, they, greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew dust and bitter ashes. 
The proceedings of Sin and Death ; God foretells the final victory of his Son 
over them, and the renewing of all things ; but for the present commands his 
angels to make several alterations in the heavens and elements. Adam, more 
and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails, rejects the condole- 
ment of Eve ; she persists, and at length appeases him ; then, to evade the 
curse likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which 
he approves not ; but, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late 
promise made them, that her Seed should be revenged on the Serpent ; and 
exhorts her with him to seek peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and 
supplication. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

Certainly Milton has in this Book shown to an amazing extent all the 
variety of his powers in striking contrast with each other: the sublimity of 
the celestial persons ; the gigantic wickedness of the infernal ; the mingled 
excellence and human infirmities of Adam and Eve ; and the shadowy and 
terrific beings, Sin and Death. Of any other poet, the imagination would 
have been exhausted in the preceding Books ; in Milton, it still gathers 
strength and grows bolder and bolder, and darts with more expanded wings. 
When Sin and Death deserted the gates of Hell, and made their way to Earth, 
the conception and expression of all the circumstances are of a supernatural 
force. 

I see no adequate reason why the whole of an Epic poem should (may) 
not consist of allegorical or shadowy beings ; nor do I see why they should 
(may) not be mixed in action with those imaginary persons who represent 
realities. Certainly the poetical parts of the Scriptures everywhere embody 
such shadowy existences. (See note on 230.) 

Sin and Death might have flow r n through the air from Hell to Earth, as 
shadow r y personifications, without the aid of a bridge of matter ; but this 
ought not to have prohibited the poet from picturing a bridge of matter, if 
his imagination led him to that device. It was intended to typify the facility 
of access contrived by Sin and Death from Hell to this terrestrial globe, not 
only for themselves, but for all their ministers and innumerable followers. 
The moral is obvious : what is intended to be conveyed is, though figuratively 
told, in perfect concurrence with our faith, instead of shocking it. We must 
cut away all the most impressive parts of poetry, if we do not allow these 
figurative inventions. 

It may be admitted that it requires a rich mind duly to enjoy and appre- 
ciate these grand and spiritual agencies. They, therefore, who have cold 
conceptions, eagerly catch hold of these censures to justify their own insen- 
sibility; they can understand illustrations drawn from objects daily in solid 
forms before their eyes. But it is not only in the description of forms and 
actions that the bard has a strength and brilliance so wonderful ; he is equally 
happy in the sentiments he attributes to each personage. All speak their 
own distinct characters, with a justness and individuality which meet instant 
recognition, and waken an indescribable assent and pleasure. Thus Adam 



BOOK X. 41? 

and Eve, when they know the displeasure of the Almighty, and are over- 
whelmed with fear and remorse, each express themselves according to their 
separate casts of mind, disposition, and circumstances : their moans are deeply 
affecting. To my taste, this Book is much more lofty and much more pa- 
thetic, than the Ninth : as the subject was much more difficult, so it is 
executed with much more wonderful vigour and originality. 

The whole of " Paradise Lost," from beginning to end, is part of one inse- 
parable web ; and however beautiful detached parts may appear, not half 
their genius or wisdom can be felt or understood except in connexion with 
the whole. 

Such is the erudition applied to this most wonderful work, that nothing less 
than the conjoined attempts of a whole body of learned men for a century 
have been able to explain its inexhaustible allusions ; and even yet the task 
is uot completed. — E. B. 

A A 



BOOK X. 



Meanwhile the hainous and despiteful act 

Of Satan done in Paradise, and how 

He in the serpent had perverted Eve, 

Her husband she, to taste the fatal fruit, 

Was known in Heav'n : for what can 'scape the eye 5 

Of God all-seeing, or deceive his heart 

Omniscient ! who in all things wise and just, 

Hinder'd not Satan to attempt the mind 

Of Man, with strength entire, and free-will arm'd 

Complete to have discover'd and repulsed 10 

Whatever wiles of foe or seeming friend. 

For still they knew, and ought to have still remember'd 

The high injunction not to taste that fruit, 

Whoever tempted : which they not obeying, 

Incurr'd (what could they less ?) the penalty, 15 

12. They: The antecedent is Man (9) in a collective sense, embracing 
Adam and Eve. So in Gen. i. 26, " Let us make Man in our image, and let 
them have dominion," &c. 

14-15. Which they not obeying incurred, §c. : On considering the nature 
of this command, we may confidently affirm, says Dr. Harris, that had it re- 
mained inviolate, no one would ever have thought of impeaching its rectitude 
or propriety ; but that all would have joined in admiring its simplicity, easi- 
ness, and adaptation, and in adoring the sovereign goodness of the Lawgiver. 
Or, even when violated, had the attendant penalty been a mere momentary 
infliction on the transgressor, each of all his posterity would doubtless have 



BOOK X. 412 

And manifold in sin, deserved to fall. 
Up into Heav'n from Paradise in haste 
Th' Angelic guards ascended, mute and sad 

acquiesced in the Divine arrangement. The quarrel is, then, not with the 
nature of the law, but with the supposed conseqw nces of its violation. Its 
character is left unconsidered, and all that is thought of is its issue. And 
thus, indulging in the very spirit which led to the transgression of the law. 
men judge of its character by its results. The first transgressors acted on the 
persuasion that, judging by the fallacious advantage of its violation, it would 
be better to break it than to keep it. Their posterity are apt to think that 
it would have been better had it not been enacted ; both uniting in the im- 
plied sentiment, that man's will, and not God's, should rule. The first law 
appears to be as good a test still, of man's moral disposition, as it was on the 
day of its Divine appointment. 

Dr. Harris further remarks, that the particular prohibition was only the 
indirect occasion of transgression. The same spirit of disobedience would 
have been developed, it may be assumed, in some other manner (although 
not necessarily) , even if that prohibition had never existed. Indeed the pro- 
bability is, that the probationary arrangement did not even hasten the moment 
of transgression, but actually delayed it: for had not the entrance of evil been 
provided against at every avenue save one, the likelihood is that it would, 
in however a mitigated form, have earlier made its appearance. Neither 
must it be imagined that the outward act itself constituted the guilt of the 
first transgressor. This was only the external manifestation of the fatal 
change within. Had the forbidden object eluded his grasp, or vanished from 
his sight as he essayed to take it, the sin would yet have been completed in 
purpose, and, therefore, in the eye of God and of conscience, though still in- 
complete in outward and muscular action. So that the consequences which 
ensued are not to be viewed as resulting from the outward breach of a posi- 
tive law, however reasonable and benevolent that law might be, but from 
that breach as indicating the internal change of man's nature, or his disregard 
to the will of God formally and solemnly expressed. 

For a full discussion of this subject, and masterly vindication of the Divine 
permission of the introduction of sin into the world, consult the "Man Pri- 
meval" of Dr. Harris, pp. 392-418. 

16. Manifold in sin : Having committed a complicated sin, involving dis- 
obedience, unbelief, uxoriousness, self-will, and other irregularities. 

18. The angelic guards, fyc: The Tenth Book of Paradise Lost has a 
greater variety of persons in it than any other in the whole poem. The 
author, upon the winding up of his action, introduces all those who had any 
concern in it, and shows with great beauty the influence which it had upon 
each of them. It is the last act of a well-written tragedy, in which all who 
had a part in jt are generally drawn up before the audience, and represented 



420 PARADISE LOST. 

For Man ; for of his state by this they knew, 

Much wond'ring how the subtle fiend had stolen 20 

Entrance unseen. Soon as th' unwelcome news 

From Earth arrived at Heaven-gate, displeased 

All were who heard : dim sadness did not spare 

That time celestial visages ; yet, mix'd 

With pity, violated not their bliss. 25 

About the new-arrived, in multitudes 

Th' ethereal people ran, to hear and know 

How all befell : they tow'rds the throne supreme, 

Accountable, made haste to make appear 

With righteous plea their utmost vigilance. 30 

And easily approved ; when the Most High 

Eternal Father, from his secret cloud, 

Amidst, in thunder utter'd thus his voice : 

Assembled Angels, and ye Pow'rs return'd 
From unsuccessful charge, be not dismay'd 35 

Nor troubled at these tidings from the earth, 

under those circumstances in which the determination of the action places 
them. 

This book may be considered under four heads ; in relation to the celestial, 
the infernal, the human, and the imaginary persons, who have their respec- 
tive parts allotted in it. 

The guardian angels of Paradise are described as returning to Heaven upon 
the fall of man, in order to prove their vigilance : their arrival, their manner 
of reception, the sorrow which appeared in themselves and in those spirits 
who are said to rejoice at the conversion of a sinner, are very finely laid to- 
gether in the lines quoted. — A. 

19. .By this (time). 

23. Dim sadness, fyc. : What a just and noble idea does our author here 
give us of the blessedness of a benevolent temper, and how proper at the 
same time to obviate the objection that might be made of sadness dwelling 
in heavenly spirits. — Thyer. 

It is plain that Milton conceived sadness mixed with pity to be more consistent 
with heavenly bliss, than sadness without that compassionate temper. There 
is something pleasing, something divine even, in the melancholy of a merciful 
mind. And this (adds Mr. Thyer) might be further confirmed by the de- 
light we take in tragical representations upon the stage, where the pleasure 
arises from sympathizing with the distresses of our fellow-creatures, and in- 
dulging a commiserating temper. — N. 



BOOK X. 421 

"Which your sincerest care could not prevent, 

Foretold so lately what would come to pass, 

When first this tempter cross'd the gulf from Hell. 

1 told ye then he should prevail and speed 40 

On his bad errand ; Man should be seduced 

And flatter'd out of all, believing lies 

Against his Maker ; no decree of mine 

Concurring to necessitate his fall, 

Or touch with lightest moment of impulse 45 

His free-will, to her own inclining left 

In even scale. But fall'n he is ; and now 

What rests, but that the mortal sentence pass 

On his transgression, death denounced that day ; 

Which he presumes already vain and void, 50 

Because not yet inflicted, as he fear'd, 

By some immediate stroke ; but soon shall find 

Forbearance no acquittance, ere day end. 

Justice shall not return as bounty scorn'd. 

But whom send I to judge them ? Whom but thee, 55 

Vicegerent Son ? To thee I have transferr'd 

All judgment, whether in Heav'n, or Earth, or Hell. 

Easy it may be seen that I intend 

Mercy colleague with justice, sending thee 

Man's Friend, his Mediator, his design'd 60 

Both Ransom and Redeemer voluntary, 

And destined Man himself to judge Man fall'n 

So spake the Father, and unfolding bright 

Tow'rd the right hand his glory, on the Son 

Blazed forth unclouded Deity : he full 65 

Resplendent all his Father manifest 

Express'd, and thus divinely answer'd mild : 

40. I told ye then, ire. : See Book III. 86-96. 

42. Believing lies against his Maker : Such as Satan had suggested, that all 
things did not proceed from God. that God kept the forbidden fruit from them 
out of envy, &c. — N. 

45. Moment : Force, VI. 239. 48. Rests : Remains. 

57. Ml judgment: John v. 22-27. 59. Psalm lxxxv. 10. 



422 PARADISE LOST. 

Father Eternal, thine is to decree ; 
Mine, both in Heav'n and Earth, to do thy will 
Supreme, that thou in me, thy Son beloved, 70 

May'st ever rest well pleased. I go to judge 
On earth these thy transgressors ; but thou know'st, 
Whoever judged, the worst on me must light, 
When time shall be, for so I undertook 

Before thee ; and not repenting, this obtain 75 

Of right, that I may mitigate their doom 
On me derived ; yet I shall temper so 
Justice with mercy, as may illustrate most 
Them fully satisfy'd, and thee appease. 

Attendance none shall need, nor train where none 80 

Are to behold the judgment, but the judged, 
Those two. The third, best absent, is condemn'd, 
Convict by flight, and rebel to all law : 
Conviction to the serpent none belongs. 

Thus saying, from his radiant seat he rose 85 

Of high collat'ral glory : him Thrones and Pow'rs, 
Princedoms and Dominations ministrant, 

72. I go to judge: The same Divine Person who in the foregoing parts ol 
this poem (Book III. 236) interceded for our first parents before their fall) 
overthrew the rebel angels, and created the world, is now represented as de- 
scending to Paradise, and pronouncing sentence upon the three offenders. 
The cool of the evening being a circumstance with which holy writ intro- 
duces this great scene, it is poetically described by our author (92-103) , who 
has also kept religiously to the form of words in which the three several 
sentences were passed upon Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. He has rather 
chosen to neglect the melodiousness of his verse, than to deviate from those 
speeches which are recorded on this great occasion. The guilt and confusion 
of our first parents, standing naked before their judge, are touched with great 
beauty. — A. 

74. So I undertook, $r. : Book III. 236, &c. 

78. Illustrate most : Most clearly show. 

80. Shall need: Shall be necessary, as in Book III. 341. 

84. Conviction none belongs : No proof is needful against the serpent, com- 
pelled by Satan to be the ignorant instrument of his malice against mankind, 
now mute and unable to answer for himself. — H. 

86. Collat'ral glory : Side-by-side, or equal, glory, VIII. 426; IV. 485. 



book x. 423 

Accompanied to Heaven-gate ; from whence 

Eden and all the coast in prospect lay. 

Down he descended straight : the speed of Gods 90 

Time counts not, tho' with swiftest minutes wing'd. 

Now was the sun in western cadence low 

From noon, and gentle airs due at their hour 

To fan the earth, now waked, and usher in 

The ev'ning cool, when he, from wrath more cool, 95 

Came the mild Judge and Intercessor both, 

To sentence Man. The voice of God they heard 

Now walking in the garden, by soft winds 

Brought to their ears, while day declined : they heard, 

And from his presence hid themselves among 100 

The thickest trees, both man and wife, till God 

Approaching, thus to Adam call'd aloud : 

Where art thou, Adam ? wont with joy to meet 

My coming, seen far off ! I miss thee here, 

Not pleased, thus entertain'd with solitude, 105 

Where obvious duty erewhile appear'd unsought : 

Or come I less conspicuous ? or what change 

Absents thee, or what chance detains ? Come forth ' 

He came, and with him Eve, more loth, tho 1 first 
T' offend ; discount'nanced both, and discomposed : 110 

92. Cadence : Decline. 

98. Walking : This word is to be joined, not with " Lord," but with 
" voice," as it is in the original (in Genesis) the same word with that used 
to signify the sound of the trumpet upon Mount Sinai, Ex. xix. 19, " And 
when the voice of the trumpet sounded long (,Heb. ' walked' )." A voice may 
be said to walk or go when it increases in intensity, waxing louder and louder. 
The same term is applied to a constantly brightening light. Prov. iv. 18, 
" Shineth more and more (Heb. ' walketh') to the perfect day." — Bush on 
Genesis. 

The phrase "Voice of the Lord God," is usually applied to thunder, Job 
xxxvii. 4, 5 ; Ps. xxix. 3-9 ; but seems here to denote the act of calling to 
Adam. See 119-21. 

102. See Gen. iii. It is curious to observe how the poet paraphrases and 
enlarges upon the divine historian. — N. 

106. Obvious duty: Open, manifest respect or dutifulness. Erewhile: A 
short while since. 



424 PARADISE LOST. 

Love was not in their looks, either to God 
Or to each other, but apparent guilt, 
And shame, and perturbation, and despair, 
Anger, and obstinacy, and hate, and guile. 
Whence Adam, falt'ring long, thus answer'd brief: 115 

I heard thee in the garden, and of thy voice 
Afraid, being naked, hid myself. To whom 
The gracious Judge, without revile, replied : 
My voice thou oft hast heard, and hast not fear'd, 
But still rejoiced : how is it now become 120 

So dreadful to thee ? That thou'rt naked, who 
Hath told thee ? Hast thou eaten of the tree 
Whereof I gave thee charge thou shouldst not eat ? 
To whom thus Adam, sore beset, replied : 

Heav'n ! in evil strait this day I stand 125 
Before my Judge, either to undergo 

Myself the total crime, or to accuse 
My other self, the partner of my life ; 
Whose failing, while her faith to me remains, 

1 should conceal, and not expose to blame 130 
By my complaint ; but strict necessity 

Subdues me, and calamitous constraint, 

Lest on my head both sin and punishment, 

However insupportable, be all 

Devolved ; tho', should I hold my peace, yet thou 135 

Wouldst easily detect what I conceal. 

This Woman, whom thou inad'st to be my help, 

And gav'st me as thy perfect gift, so good, 

So fit, so acceptable, so divine, 

That from her hand I could suspect no ill ; 140 

And what she did, whatever in itself, 

Her doing seem'd to justify the deed ; 

] 14-15. He came, §c. : These two lines are so destitute of harmony as to 
represent in sound the ideas of tardiness, difficulty, and hesitancy through 
fear.— C. 

118. Revile: Reproof. 

130, &c. His unwillingness to accuse his wife, and yet the necessity of his 
doing it, are finely imagined. — N. 



book x. 425 

She gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

To whom the Sov'reign Presence thus replied : 
Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey 145 

Before his voice ? or was she made thy guide, 
Superior, or but equal, that to her 
Thou didst resign thy manhood, and the place 
Wherein God set thee 'bove her,, made of thee, 
And for thee, whose perfection far excell'd 150 

Hers in all real dignity ? Adorn'd 
She was indeed, and lovely to attract 
Thy love, not thy subjection ; and her gifts 
Were such as under government well seem'd, 
Unseemly to bear rule, which was thy part 155 

And person, had'st thou known thyself aright. 

So having said, he thus to Eve in few : 
Say, Woman, what is this which thou hast done ? 

To whom sad Eve, with shame nigh overwhelni'd, 
Confessing soon, yet not before her Judge 160 

Bold or loquacious, thus abash 'd, replied: 
The Serpent me beguiled, and I did eat. 

Which when the Lord God heard, without delay 
To judgment he proceeded on th' accused 
Serpent, though brute, unable to transfer 165 

The guilt on him who made him instrument 
Of mischief, and polluted from the end 
Of his creation : justly then accursed, 
As vitiated in nature : more to know 

Concern'd not Man (since he no further knew) 170 

Nor alter'd his offence ; yet God at last 
To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied, 
Though in mysterious terms, judged as then best; 
And on the serpent thus bis curse let fall : 

151-52. The same idea was communicated by the angel Raphael, VIII. 
568. Milton often thus inculcates the superior authority belonging to the 
husband. 

156. Person is here used in the sense of the Latin persona (dramatis) , cha- 
racter. It was thy part and thy character v in the drama of life; to bear rule. 

157. In few : In few (words) . 



426 PARADISE LOST. 

Because thou hast done this, thou art accursed 175 

Above all cattle, each beast of the field ; 
Upon thy belly grov'ling thou shalt go, 
And dust shalt eat all the days of thy life. 
Between thee and the Woman I will put 

Enmity, and between thine and her seed : 180 

Her Seed shall bruise thy head ; thou bruise his heel. 
So spake this Oracle, then verify 'd 

175. This is taken from Genesis iii. 14, 15. The object of the curse in this 
case was both the natural visible serpent employed as the instrument, and 
Satan himself, by whom he was instigated. It was not the serpent alone, 
and by itself, that tempted the first pair ; it was that animal, as moved and 
impelled by the devil, which accomplished their ruin. The expressions used 
in denouncing the sentence, appertain to both : not that a brute reptile could 
really be guilty of sin, or a fit subject of punishment, but it is entirely in ac- 
cordance with the usual method of the Divine dispensations to put some 
token of displeasure upon the instrument of an offence, as well as upon the 
offender who employs it. Thus the beast who had been lain with by man, 
Lev. xx. 15, was to be burned to death as well as the man himself; and even 
the censers of Korah and his companions were condemned as no longer fit to 
be applied to a sacred use. This is done in order to express more forcibly 
the Divine detestation of the act, while at the same time we may freely ad- 
mit that the main weight of the curse undoubtedly fell upon the principal 
agent, whose doom is mystically expressed in the terms appropriate to a 
natural serpent. It may further be observed, in justification of the Divine 
proceeding, that the brute serpent, in pursuance of this curse, probably suf- 
fered no pain. It might be deteriorated as to its properties ; it might be 
lowered in the scale of creation ; it might be transformed from a shape and 
appearance the most beautiful in the eyes of men, into a form the most dis- 
gusting ; and all this without any diminution of its corporeal pleasures. 
Such a change involved no mental suffering, as it would in the case of a ra- 
tional being subjected to like degradation. — Bush. 

176-81. Our author was certainly here more in the right than ever, in ad- 
hering religiously to the words of Scripture, though he has thereby spoiled 
the harmony of his verse. — N. 

182. Oracle: Here is a manifest indication that, when Milton wrote this 
passage, he thought Paradise was chiefly regained at our Saviour's resurrec- 
tion. This would have been a copious and sublime subject for a second poem. 
In episodes he might have introduced his conception, birth, miracles, and the 
entire history of his administration while on earth ; and I much grieve that, 
instead of this, he should choose for the argument of his Paradise Regained 
the fourth chapter of Luke, the temptation in the wilderness ; a dry, barren, and 



book x. 427 

When Jesus, Son of Mary, second Eve, 

Saw Satan fall like lightning down from Heav'n, 

Prince of the air ; then, rising from his grave, 185 

Spoil'd principalities and pow'rs, triumph'd 

In open show, and, with ascension bright, 

Captivity led captive through the air. 

The realm itself of Satan long usurp'd ; 

Whom he shall tread at last under our feet ; 190 

E'en he who now foretold his fatal bruise, 

And to the Woman thus his sentence turn'd : 

Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply 

By thy conception : Children thou shalt bring 

In sorrow forth ; and to thy husband's will 195 

Thine shall submit : he over thee shall rule. 

On Adam last thus judgment he pronounced : 
Because thou'st hearken'd to th' voice of thy wife, 
And eaten of the tree, concerning which 

I charged thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat thereof; 200 

Cursed is the ground for thy sake ; thou in sorrow 
Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life : 
Thorns also and thistles it shall bring thee forth 
Unbid ; and thou shalt eat th' herb of the field ; 
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 205 

Till thou return unto the ground ; for thou 
Out of the ground wast taken (know thy birth) ; 
For dust thou art, and shalt to dust return. 

So judged he Man, both Judge and Saviour sent, 
And th' instant stroke of death, denounced that day, 210 

Removed far off; then pitying how they stood 
Before him naked to the air, that now 
Must suffer change, disdain'd not to begin 
Thenceforth the form of servant to assume, 
As when he wash'd his servants' feet ; so now, 215 

As Father of his family, he clad 

narrow ground to build an epic poem on. In that work he has amplified his 
scanty materials to a surprising dignity, but yet being cramped down by a 
wrong choice, without the expected applause. — Bentley. 
216. It was formerly believed that some animals shed their skins like 



428 PARADISE LOST. 

Their nakedness with skins of beasts, or slain, 

Or as the snake with youthful coat repaid ; 

And thought not much to clothe his enemies : 

Nor he their outward only with the skins 220 

Of beasts, but inward nakedness, much more 

Opprobrious, with his robe of righteousness, 

Arraying, cover'd from his Father's sight. 

To him with swift ascent he up return'd, 

Into his blissful bosom re-assumed 225 

In glory, as of old ; to him appeased, 

All, tho' all-knowing, what had pass'd with Man 

Recounted, mixing intercession sweet. 

Meanwhile ere thus was sinn'd and judged on Earth, 
Within the gates of Hell sat Sin and Death, 230 

snakes ; but the most common supposition is, that the skins mentioned in 
this part of Scripture history, were those of animals offered in sacrifice, 
which, it is generally supposed, was instituted in the earliest period of man's 
existence. — S. 

229. Was sinn'd and judged : Impersonal verbs, constituting a Latin form 
of expression, and meaning, sin and judgment took place. 

230. Sat Sin and Death, fyc. : Some remarks may here, with propriety, be 
made upon the introduction of such shadowy and imaginary persons into a 
heroic poem. It is certain that Homer and Virgil are full of imaginary per- 
sons ; and these are very beautiful in poetry, when they are just shown 
without being engaged in any series of action. Homer, indeed, represents 
sleep as a person, and ascribes a short part to him in his Iliad ; but we must 
consider that though we now regard such a person as entirely shadowy and 
unsubstantial, the heathens made statues of him, placed him in their tem- 
ples, and looked upon him as a real deity. When Homer makes use of 
similar allegorical persons, it is only in short, expressions which convey an 
ordinary thought to the mind in the most pleasing manner, and may rather 
be looked upon as poetical phrases than allegorical descriptions. Instead of 
telling us that men naturally flee when they are terrified, he introduces the 
persons of Flight and Fear as inseparable companions. Instead of saying 
that the time was come when Apollo ought to have received his recom- 
pence. he tells us that the Hours brought him his reward. Instead of de- 
scribing the effects of Minerva's ;Tgis produced in battle, he tells us that the 
brims of it were encompassed by Terror, Rout. Discord, Fury. Pursuit, Mas- 
sacre, and Death. In the same figure of speaking, he represents Victory as 
follow ing Diomedes ; Discord, as the mother of funerals and of mourning ; 
Venus, as dressed by the Graces. Similar instances are to be found in Virgil. 



BOOK X. 429 

In counterview within the gates, that now 
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame 
Far into Chaos, since the Fiend pass'd through, 
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began : 

O Son, why sit we here each other viewing 235 

Idly, while Satan our great author thrives 
In other worlds, and happier seat provides 
For us, his offspring dear ? It cannot be 
But that success attends him; if mishap, 

Ere this he had return 'd, with fury driven 240 

By his avengers, since no place like this 
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge. 

Milton has very often made use of the same way of speaking ; as where he 
tells us that Victory sat on the right hand of the Messiah, when he marched 
forth against the rebel angels ; that, at the rising of the sun, the Hours 
unbarred the gates of light ; that Discord was the daughter of Sin. Of the 
same nature are those expressions, where, describing the singing of the night- 
ingale, he adds, " Silence was pleased;" and upon the Messiah's bidding 
peace to the Chaos, " Confusion heard his voice." There are numberless 
instances of our author's writing in this beautiful figure. It is plain that 
these which have been mentioned, in which persons of an imaginary nature 
are introduced, are such short allegories as are not designed to be taken in 
the literal sense, but only to convey particular circumstances to the reader 
after an unusual and entertaining manner. But when such persons are in- 
troduced as principal actors, and engaged in a series of adventures, they take 
too much upon them, and are, by no means, proper for a heroic poem, which 
ought to appear credible in its principal parts. — A. 

The opinions just expressed differ, it will be noticed, from those contained 
in the Introductory Remarks, prefixed to this Book ; and also from those ex- 
pressed by Bishop Newton, and here subjoined. 

Milton may rather be justified for introducing such imaginary beings as 
Sin and Death, because a great part of his poem lies in the invisible world, 
and such fictitious beings may better have a place there ; and the actions of 
of Sin and Death are at least as probable as many of those ascribed to the 
good or evil angels. Besides, as Milton's subject necessarily admitted so far 
real persons, he was in a manner obliged to supply that defect by introduc- 
ing imaginary ones ; and the characters of Sin and Death are perfectly agree- 
able to the hints and sketches, which are given of them in Scripture. The 
Scripture had made persons of them before in several places ; only it repre- 
sented them, as I may say, in miniature, and he has drawn them in their 
full length and proportions. — N. 

231. In counterview : With a front view of each other. 



430 PARADISE LOST. 

Methinks I feel new strength within me rise, 

Wings growing, and dominion given me large 

Beyond this deep ; whatever draws me on, 245 

Or sympathy, or some connat'ral force, 

Pow'rful at greatest distance to unite 

With secret amity things of like kind 

By secretest conveyance. Thou, my shade 

Inseparable, must with me along ; 250 

For Death from Sin no power can separate. 

But lest the difficulty of passing back 

Stay his return perhaps over this gulf 

Impassable, impervious, let us try 

Advent'rous work, yet to thy pow'r and mine 255 

Not unagreeable, to found a path 

Over this main from Hell to that New World, 

Where Satan now prevails ; a monument 

Of merit high to all th' infernal host, 

Easing their passage hence, for intercourse 260 

Or transmigration, as their lot shall lead. 

Nor can I miss the way, so strongly drawn 

246. Or sympathy, fyc. : Whether sympathy. The modern philosopher 
may, perhaps, take offence at this now exploded notion, but every friend to 
the Muses will, I doubt not, pardon it, for the sake of that fine strain of 
poetry which it has given the poet an opportunity of introducing in the fol- 
lowing description. — Thyer. 

249-50. Thou my shade, §c. : Death seemed a shadow, Book II. 609, and 
was the inseparable companion as well as offspring of Sin. Shakspeare, in 
the same manner uses shadow, as the Latins use umbra, (Hor. Sat. ii. 8 : 22) : 

" I am your shadow, my Lord, I'll follow you.'" 

Henry IV., Act. 2. 

N. 

250. Must with : Must go with, &c. 

251. A momentous truth is here conveyed, and well adapted to make a 
salutary moral impression. 

257. Main: Ocean. 

260. For intercourse or transmigration, Sfc. : Intercourse, the passing fre- 
quently backward and forward ; transmigration, quitting Hell once for all to 
inhabit the new creation : they were uncertain which their lot should be. — 
R. 



BOOK X. 431 

By this new-felt attraction and instinct. 

Whom thus the meagre Shadow answer'd soon : 
Go whither Fate and inclination strong 265 

Leads thee ; I shall not lag behind, nor err 
The way, thou leading, such a scent I draw 
Of carnage, prey innumerable, and taste 
The savour of Death from all things there that live : 
Nor shall I to the work thou enterprisest 270 

Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid. 

So saying, with delight he snuff'd the smell 
Of mortal change on earth. As when a flock 
Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote 
Against the day of battle, to a field 275 

Where armies lie cncamp'd, come flying, lured 
With scent of living carcases design'd 
For death the following day, in bloody fight ; 
So scented the grim Feature, and upturn'd 
His nostril wide into the murky air, 280 

Sagacious of his quarry from so far. 
Then both from out Hell-gates iuto the waste 
Wide anarchy of Chaos, damp and dark, 
Flew diverse, and with pow'r (their pow'r was great) 
Hov'ring upon the waters, what they met, 285 

Solid or slimy, as in raging sea 
Tost up and down, together crowded drove 
From each side shoaling towards the mouth of Hell : 
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse 

266. Err: Mistake. 

277. With scent of living carcases : A fabulous story is here introduced 
from Pliny by way of illustration ; for such a purpose no simile could be 
more appropriate. 

279. The grim Feature : The grim Form. 

281. Sagacious of his quarry: Quick of scent to discern his prey. 

289. jls when two polar winds, fyc. : Sin and Death, flying into different 
parts of Chaos, and driving all the matter they meet with there in shoals 
towards the mouth of Hell, are compared to two polar winds, north and south, 
blowing adverse upon the Cronian Sea, the Northern frozen sea, and driving 
together mountains of ice that stop the imagined way, the northwest passage, as 



432 



PARADISE LOST. 



Upon the Cronian sea, together drive 290 

Mountains of ice, that stop th' imagined way 

Beyond Petsora eastward, to the rich 

Cathaian coast. The aggregated soil 

Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry, 

As with a trident smote, and fix'd as firm 295 

As Delos floating once ; the rest his look 

Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move ; 

And with asphaltic slime, broad as the gate, 

Beep to the roots of Hell the gather'd beach 

They fasten'd, and the mole immense wrought on 300 

Over the foaming deep high arch'd, a bridge 

Of length prodigious, joining to the wall 

Immoveable of this now fenceless world 

Forfeit to Death : from hence a passage broad, 

Smooth, easy, inoffensive down to Hell. 305 

So, if great things to small may be compared, 

it is railed, which so many have attempted to discover, beyond Petsora east- 
ward (292) , the most north-eastern province of Muscovy, Russia, to the rich 
Cathaian coast — Cathay, the northern part of China. — N. 
294. Petrific : Converting substances into stone. 

296. Delos : An island in the iEgean Sea, one of the Cyclades, and 
the alleged birth-place of Apollo. Its name is commonly derived from<5/j.\cs 
manifest, in allusion to the island being supposed to have once floated under 
the surface of the sea, until, by order of Neptune, it was made to rise above, 
and remain. The rest : The slimy parts, 2S6, as distinguished from the solid, 
or soil. 

297. Gorgonian rigour : Rigidness, such as the Gorgans were fabled to 
produce : these were three sisters to whom the power was ascribed of turn- 
ing into stone all persons on whom they fixed their eyes. 

299. Beach: Shore. 

303. Fenceless : Unguarded. 

306. So Xerxes, Sfc. : This simile is very exact and beautiful. As Sin and 
Death built a bridge over Chaos to subdue and enslave mankind, so if great 
things to small may be co?npared — " Si parva licet componere magnis," as Virgil 
says, Georg. iv. 176 — Xerxes, the Persian monarch, to bring the free states 
of Greece under his yoke, came from Susa, the chief city of Susiana, a pro- 
vince of Persia, the residence of the Persian monarchs, called Memnonia by 
Herodotus, of Memnon, who built it, and who reigned there. 



book x. 433 

Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke, 

From Susa his Memnonian palace high 

Came to the sea, and over Hellespont 

Bridging his way, Europe with Asia join'd, 310 

And scourged with many a stroke th' indignant waves. 

Now had they brought the work by wondrous art 

Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock, 

Over the vex'd abyss, (following the track 

Of Satan to the self- same place where he 315 

First lighted from his wing, and landed safe 

From out of Chaos,) to the outside bare 

Of this round world. With pins of adamant 

And chains they made all fast, too fast they made 

And durable ; and now in little space 320 

The confines met of Empyrean Heav'n 

And of this World, and on the left hand Hell 



309-10. And over the Hellespont bridging his ivay : Building a bridge, rest- 
ing on ships, over Hellespont, the narrow sea by Constantinople, that divides 
Europe Irom Asia, to march his large army over it. 

310-11. Europe with Asia joined, and scourged with many a stroke the in- 
dignant waves : Alluding particularly to the madness of Xerxes in ordering 
the sea to be whipped for the loss of some of his ships. 

311. Indignant waves: Scorning and raging to be so confined ; as Virgil 
says, " Pontem indignatus, Araxes," JEn. viii. 728. 

312. By wondrous art pontifical : By the wondrous art of building bridges. 
The high priest of the ancient Romans was distinguished by the name of 
Pontifcx, from pons, a bridge, and faccre, to make : " Quia sublicius pons a 
Pontificibus factus est primum, et restitutus ssepe," as Varro relates. 

Art pontifical, says Warburton, is a very bad expression to signify the ar1 
of building bridges, and yet, to suppose a pun, would be worse, as if the 
Roman priesthood were as ready to make the way easy to Hell, as Sin ai d 
Death did. 

312-318. The prominent statements are : Now had they brought the work, 
over the vexed abyss, to the outside bare of this round world, following the track 
of Satan, &c. 

315-17. For an explanation of outside bare of this round world, consult 
note on Book iii. 34; ii. 1029-52. 

322. On the left hand Hell : Virgil locates Hell on the left, and Elysium 
on the right hand. JEn. vi. 542. 

13 B 



434 PARADISE LOST. 

With long reach interposed : three sev'ral ways 

In sight, to each of these three places led. 

And now their way to Earth they had descry'd, 325 

To Paradise first tending, when, behold, 

Satan, in likeness of an Angel bright, 

Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering 

His zenith, while the sun in Aries rose. 

Disguised he came ; but those his children dear 330 

Their parent soon discern'd, though in disguise. 

He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk 

Into the wood fast by, and changing shape 

T' observe the sequel, saw his guileful act 

By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded 335 

Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought 

Vain covertures ; but when he saw descend 

The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd 

He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun 

The present, fearing, guilty, what his wrath 340 

323. Reach: Extent. 

328. Steering his zenith: Alluding to a ship steering her course between 
two islands : so Satan directed his way, on his return from the earth, be- 
tween these two signs of the zodiac, upwards, towards the outside of this 
round world, whence he had come down, 317 ; III. 41S-23, 560-74. 

Satan, to avoid being discovered, as he had been before, IV. 569, &c, by 
Uriel, regent of the sun, takes care to keep at as great distance as possible, 
and, therefore, while the sun rose in Aries, he steers his course directly up- 
wards, betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion, two constellations which lay in 
a quite different part of the heavens from Aries. — N. 

It is observed by those who would set forth the greatness of Virgil's 
plan, that he conducts his reader through all the parts of the earth which 
were discovered in his time. Asia, Africa, and Europe, are the several 
scenes of his fable. The plan of Milton's poem is of an infinitely greater 
extent, and fills the mind with many more astonishing circumstances. 
Satan, having surrounded the earth seven times, departs at length from Para- 
dise. We then see him steering his course among the constellations ; and, 
after having traversed the whole creation, pursuing his voyage through the 
chaos, and entering into his own infernal dominions. — A. 

332. Seduced : Had been seduced. 

335. All unweeting : Altogether ignorant, that is, of his presence. Second- 
ed: Practised a second time. 



book x. 435 

Might suddenly inflict ; that pass'd, return 'd 

By night, and list'ning where the hapless pair 

Sat in their sad discourse, and various plaint, 

Thence gather'd his own doom, which understood 

Not instant, but of future time, with joy 345 

And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return'd, 

And at the brink of Cbaos, near the foot 

Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhoped 

Met who to meet him came, his offspring dear. 

Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight 350 

Of that stupendous bridge his joy increased. 

Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair 

Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke : 

Parent, these are thy magnific deeds, 
Thy trophies, which thou view'st as not thine own ! 355 

Thou art their author and prime architect : 
For I no sooner in my heart divined, 
(My heart, which by a secret harmony 
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion sweet,) 
That thou on earth badst prosper'd, which thy looks 360 

Now also evidence, but straight I felt, 
Tho' distant from thee worlds between, yet felt 
That I must after thee with this thy son ; 
Such fatal consequence unites us three : 

Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds, 365 

Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure 
Detain from following thy illustrious track. 
Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined 

344. Uliich understood : Which being understood. 

345. With joy and tidings : That is, with joyful tidings : an idiom of the 
Latin writers, as in JEn. viii. 436, " Squamis auroqne," instead of " Jlurris 
squamis; JEn. i. 63G, " Munera latitiamque Dei," for " Muncra lata Dei." — 
R. 

348. Pontifice: Bridge-work. 

363. Must (go) after thee. 

364. Fatal consequence : Fated connection of cause and effect. 

368. Our liberty : The liberty of us. For similar instances of this use of 



436 PARADISE LOST. 

Within Hell-gates till now ; thou us impower'd 

To fortify thus far, and overlay 370 

With this portentous bridge the dark abyss. 

Thine now is all this world ; thy virtue hath won 

What thy hands builded not.; thy wisdom gain'd 

With odds what war hath lost, and fully 'venged 

Our foil in Heav'n : here thou shalt monarch reign ; 375 

There didst not ; there let him still victor sway. 

As battle hath adjudged, from this new world 

Retiring, by his own doom alienated, 

And henceforth monarchy with thee divide 

Of all things parted by th' empyreal bounds, 380 

His quadrature, from thy orbicular world, 

Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne. 

Whom thus the Prince of darkness answer'd glad : 
Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both, 
High proof ye now have given to be the race 3S5 

Of Satan (for I glory in the name, 
Antagonist of Heav'n's Almighty King) ; 
Amply have merited of me, of all 
Th' infernal empire, that so near Heav'n's door 
Triumphal with triumphal act have met, 390 

Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm 
Hell and this world, one realm, one continent 
Of easy thoroughfare. Therefore, while I 

the pronoun, refer to IV. 129 ; VIII. 423 ; IX. 108. To fortify : To erect 
firm work. 

375. Foil: Defeat. 

381. His quadrature, fyc. : This world is orbicular, or round; the empyreal 
Heaven is a quadrature, or square. Our author had said before (II. 1048) 
that it was undetermined square or round ; and so it might be to Satan, 
viewing it at that distance ; but here he follows the opinion of Gassen- 
dus and others, who say that the empyrium, or Heaven of heavens, is 
of a square figure, because the holy city, in the Revelation (xxi. 16) , is so 
described. — N. 

38 I. Son and grandchild: Death is bv these terms described as the imme- 
il ate effect of sin, and the more remote effect of the agency of Satan, by which 
the sin of man was effected. 

38G. Satan means antagonist or adversary 



book x. 437 

Descend through darkness, on your road with ease, 

To my associate Pow'rs, them to acquaint 395 

With these successes, and with them rejoice, 

You two this way, among these numerous orbs 

All yours, right down to Paradise descend ; 

There dwell and reign in bliss, thence on the earth 

Dominion exercise, and in the air, 400 

Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declared ; 

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill. 

My substitutes I send ye, and create 

Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might 

Issuing from me. On your joint vigour now 405 

My hold of this new kingdom all depends, 

Through Sin to Death exposed by my exploit. 

If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of Hell 

No detriment need fear. Go, and be strong. 

So saying, he dismiss'd them ; they with speed 410 

Their course through thickest constellations held, 
Spreading their bane ; the blasted stars look'd wan, 
And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse 
Then suffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down 
The causey to Hell-gate ; on either side 415 

Disparted Chaos over-built exclaim 'd, 
And with rebounding surge the bars assail'd 
That scorn 'd his indignation. Through the gate, 
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd, 

And all about found desolate ; for those 420 

Appointed to sit there had left their charge, 

402. Thrall: Slave. 

409. Go and be strong : The words of Moses to Joshua, Deut. xxxi. 7, 8. 

412. Spreading their bane, tifc. : Ovid's description of the journey of Envy 
to Athens, Met. ii. 791-94, and Milton's of the journey of Sin and Death to 
Paradise, have a great resemblance. But whatever Milton imitates, he adds 
a greatness to it : as in this place, he alters Ovid's flowers, herbs, people, and 
cities, to stars, planets, and worlds. 

413. And planets, planet-struck : We say of a thing when it is blasted and 
withered, that it is planet -st ru rlc ; and this is now applied to the planets 
themselves. And what a sublime idea does it give us of the devastations 
of Sin and Death ! — N. 415. Causey: Raised way. 



438 PARADISE LOST. 

Flown to the upper world ; the rest were all 

Far to th' inland retired, about the walls 

Of Pandemonium, city and proud seat 

Of Lucifer, so by allusion call'd, 425 

Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd. 

There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand 

In council sat, solicitous what chance 

Might intercept their emperor sent ; so he 

Departing, gave command ; and they observed. 430 

As when the Tartar from his Russian foe 

By Astracan over the snowy plains 

Retires, or Bactrian Sophi from the horns 

Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond 

The realm of Aladule, in his retreat 435 

To Tauris or Casbeen, so these the late 

Heav'n-banish'd host, left dssert utmost Hell 

424. Pandemonium, referred to Book I. 756, and there said to be the high 
capital of Satan and his peers. It is derived from *■£>, all, and Saipwv, 
demon. 

425. Lucifer: Light bnnger. The old poets give this name to Venus 
when she is a morning star, and then heralds the great orb of light. In 
Isaiah, xiv. 12, Nebuchadnezzar is compared to Lucifer, from the worldly- 
splendor by which he had previous to his death been surrounded, and by 
which he surpassed all other monarchs, as the brilliancy of Lucifer (Venus) 
surpasses that of the other celestial bodies, in the absence of the sun. Ter- 
tullian and Gregory the Great, erroneously understood this passage in Isaiah 
as referring to the fall of Satan, in consequence of which the name Lucifer 
has since been applied to Satan. — K. Compare Book*i. 591-96 ; X. 449-55. 

426. Paragoned: From paragonner (French), to be equal to, to be like; 
from Tupa, juxta, and aytiv, certamen. An exact idea or likeness of a thing) 
able to contest with the original. — H. 

432-36. Astracan : A large city near the mouth of the Volga. Sophi : 
A title of the King of Persia. He is styled Bactrian, from one of his rich- 
est provinces, lying near the Caspian Sea. Alahdc : The greater Armenia. 
Tauris : A city in Persia, now called Ecbatana. Casbeen : One of the largest 
cities of Persia, in Parthia, towards the Caspian Sea. In this city, after the 
loss of Tauris, the Persian monarchs made their residence. 

434. Crescent . The Turkish standard bears the figure of the new moon, 
which terminates in points, or horns. The new moon is crescent, or growing; 
it enlarges its figure. The phrase, "horns of Turkish crescent."' is equivalent 
to Turkish standard, and this may figuratively stand for Turkish power. 



book x. 439 

Many a dark league, reduced in careful watch 

Round their metropolis, and now expecting 

Each hour their great advent'rer from the search 440 

Of foreign worlds ; he through the midst, unmark'd, 

In show plebeian Angel militant 

Of lowest order, pass'd ; and from the door 

Of that Plutonian hall, invisible, 

Ascended his high throne, which under state 445 

Of richest texture spread, at th' upper end 

Was placed in regal lustre. Down a while 

He sat, and round about him saw, unseen. 

At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent head 

And shape star-bright appear'd, or brighter, clad 450 

With what permissive glory since his fall 

Was left him, or false glitter. All amazed 

At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng 

Bent their aspect, and whom they wish'd beheld, 

Their mighty chief return'd. Loud was th' acclaim : 455 

Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, 

Raised from their dark divan, and with like joy 

Congratulant approach 'd him, who with hand 

Silence, and with these words attention, won : 

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow'rs, 460 
For in possc-sion such, not only of right, 
I call ye, and declare ye now, return'd 

445-47. Ascended his high throne, §c. : His first appearance in the assem- 
bly of fallen angels is worked up with circumstances which give a delight- 
ful surprise to the reader; but there is no incident in the whole poem which 
does this more than the transformation cf the whole audience, that follows 
the account their leader gives them of his expedition. The gradual change 
of Satan himself is described after Ovid's manner, and may vie with any of 
those celebrated transformations which are looked upon as the most beauti- 
ful parts in that poet's works. — A. State: Canopy, elegant covering. 

454. Bent their aspect : Directed their look. 

457. Raised from their dark divan : The devils are frequently described by 
metaphors taken from the Turks. Satan is called the Sultan [1. 34S), as here 
the council is styled the divan. The said council is said to sit in secret con- 
clave (I. 795) , the Devil, the Turk, and the Pope being commonly thought 
to be nearly related, and often joined together. — N. 



440 PARADISE LOST. 

Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth 

Triumphant out of this infernal pit 

Abominable, accursed, the house of woe, 465 

And dungeon of our tyrant. Now possess, 

As Lords, a spacious world, to our native Heav'n 

Little inferior, by my adventure hard 

With peril great achieved. Long were to tell 

What I have done, what suffer'd, with what pain 470 

Voyaged th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep 

Of horrible confusion, over which 

By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved 

To expedite your glorious march ; but I 

Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forced to ride 475 

Th' untractable abyss, plunged in the womb 

Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild, 

That jealous of their secrets fiercely opposed 

My journey strange, with clamorous uproar 

Protesting Fate supreme ; thence how I found 480 

The new-created world, which fame in Heav'n 

Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful, 

Of absolute perfection, therein Man 

Placed in a Paradise, by our exile 

Made happy. Him by fraud I have seduced 485 

From his Creator, and the more to increase 

Your wonder, with an apple ! He thereat 

Offended (worth your laughter) hath given up 

475. Uncouth : Strange, unknown, unusual. 

477. Unoriginal : Unoriginated, ungenerated. 

480. Protesting Fate supreme : Calling upon Fate as a witness against my 
proceedings. This does not perfectly agree with the account in Book II. 
1007-9. But Satan is here extolling his own performances, and perhaps the 
author did not intend that the lather of lies should keep strictly to truth. — N. 

484. Exile : Accent on the last syllable. 

4S7 With an apple: The fall of man, and this incident connected with it, 
have long been the profane jest of infidelity, as, according to this passage, 
they were previously of Satan and his wicked associates. But the act. as a 
crime and as a source of universal wretchedness, is too serious to admit, with 
propriety, of any such treatment. 



BOOK X. 441 

Both his beloved Man and all his world, 

To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us, 490 

Without our hazard, labour, or alarm, 

To range in, and to dwell, and over Man 

To rule, as over all he should have ruled. 

True is, me also he hath judged, or rather 

Me not, but the brute Serpent, in whose shape 495 

Man I deceived. That which to me belongs 

Is enmity, which he will put between 

Me and mankind : I am to bruise his heel ; 

His seed (when is not set) shall bruise my head. 

A world who would not purchase with a bruise, 500 

Or much more grievous pain ? Ye have th' account 

Of my performance : What remains, ye Gods, 

But up and enter now into full bliss ? 

So having said, a while he stood, expecting 
Their universal shout and high applause 50.5 

To fill his ear ; when, contrary, he hears 
On all sides, from innumerable tongues 
A dismal universal hiss, the sound 
Of public scorn. He wonder'd, but not long 
Had leisure, wond'ring at himself now more : 510 

His visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare, 
His arms clung to his ribs, his legs intwining 
Each other, till supplanted down he fell 

494. True is : True (it) is. 

496. That which to me belongs, fyc. : The sentence referred partly to Satan, 
and partly to the serpent, his instrument, as explained fully in the Introductory 
Remarks of Book IX. and in note Book X. 175. 

499. When : (The time) when. 

513. Till supplanted, §c. : We may observe here a singular beauty and 
elegance in Milton's language ; and that is in using words in their strict and 
literal sense which are commonly applied to (used with) a metaphorical 
meaning, whereby he gives a peculiar force to his expressions, and the literal 
meaning appears more new and striking than the metaphor itself. We have 
an instance of this in the word supplanted, which is derived from the Latin 
supplanto, to trip up one's heels, or overthrow (a planta pedis subtus emota) , 
and there is an abundance of other examples in several parts of this wc rk.— 



442 PARADISE LOST. 

A monstrous serpent on his belly prone. 

Reluctant, but in vain ; a greater Pow'r 515 

Now ruled him, punish'd in the shape he sinn'd, 

According to his doom. He would have spoke, 

But hiss for hiss return 'd with forked tongue 

To forked tongue ; for now were all transform'd 

Alike ; to serpents all as accessories 520 

To his bold riot. Dreadful was the din 

Of hissing through the hall, thick swarming now 

With complicated monsters, head and tail, 

Scorpion, and Asp, and Amphisbsena dire, 

Cerastes horn'd, Hydrus, and Elops drear, 525 

And Dipsas (not so thick swarm'd once the soil 

Bedropt with blood of Gorgon, or the isle 

Ophiusa) ; but still greatest he the midst, 



514. A monstrous serpent, fyc. : Our author, in describing Satan's transfor- 
mation into a serpent, had, no doubt, in mind the transformation of Cadmus 
(Ovid Met. book iv.), to which he had alluded before in Book IX. 505: but 
there is something far more astonishing in Milton than in Ovid ; for there 
only Cadmus and his wife are changed into serpents, but here myriads of 
angels are transformed all together. — N. 

519-20. The moral lessons which this transformation of the fallen angels 
convey are good: a rebuke to pride, impiety, and falsehood; the certainty 
of retribution according to Divine threatenings ; the entire subjection of Satan 
to God's control ; the degradation resulting from rebellion against the govern- 
ment of Jehovah. 

524. Amphisbana : A species of serpent that moves with either end fore- 
most, as the name indicates, from dptpi and /?ui>&>. 

525. Cerastes: A serpent that possesses horns, named from la'pas, a horn. 
Hydrus: water-serpent, from t'oVp. water — a serpent that approaches without 
giving notice, by hissing, to avoid him. Drear: Direful, sad. 

526. Dipsas : A poisonous serpent whose bite produces severe thirst, Deul. 
viii. The name is 1'romAiipa, thirst. 

527. The fable of Medusa, one of the Gorgons, is here referred to. Her 
locks of hair were converted into snakes. She was slain by Perseus, who 
cut off her head; and the blood that flowed from it produced the serpents of 
Africa, Perseus having, on his return, winged his way over that country. 

528. Ophiusa : A name given to many places on account of being greatly 
infested by serpents ; amongst others, to the islands of Tenos and of Rhodes. 



book x. 443 

Now Dragon grown, larger than whom the sun 

Engender'd in the Pythian vale on slime, 530 

Huge Python, and' his powV no less he seem'd 

Above the rest still to retain. They all 

Him follow'd, issuing forth to th' open field, 

Where all yet left of that revolted rout 

Heav'n-fall'n, in station stood or just array, 535 

Sublime with expectation when to see 

In triumph issuing forth their glorious chief: 

They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd 

Of ugly serpents. Horror on them fell, 

And horrid sympathy ; for what they saw, 540 

They felt themselves now changing. Down their arms, 

Down fell both spear and shield, down they as fast, 

And the dire hiss renewM, and the dire form 

Catch'd by contagion, like in punishment, 

As in their crime. Thus was th' applause they meant 545 

Turn'd to exploding hiss ; triumph to shame, 

Cast on themselves from their own mouths. There stood 

A grove hard by, sprung up with this their change, 

His will who reigns above, to aggravate 

Their penance, laden with fair fruit, like that 550 

Which grew in Paradise, the bait of Eve 

Used by the Tempter. On that prospect strange 

Their earnest eyes they fix'd, imagining 

For one forbidden tree a multitude 

Now risen, to work them further woe or shame ; 555 

Yet parch 'd with scalding thirst and hunger fierce, 

Though to delude them sent, could not abstain, 

The above catalogue of species of serpents seems to have been taken fro 
Lucan's Pharsalia, book ix. 696. 

529. Dragon : This name is applied to the Devil, who is also called the 
Old Serpent in Rev. xx. 2. Lucan had described the dragon as the greatest 
and most terrible of the Lybian serpents. 

531. Huge Python: A famous serpent, in the vicinity of Delphi in Greece, 
fabled to have sprung from the mud which remained upon the earth after the 
deluge of Deucalion. Pyllrian vale : Vale near Delphi. See note on 578-79. 
Ovid's Met. i. 43S. 



444 PARADISE LOST. 

But oil they rolled in heaps, and up the trees 

Climbing, sat thicker than the snaky locks 

That curl'd Megaeva. Greedily they pluck'd 560 

The fruitage, fair to sight, like that which grew 

Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed ; 

This more delusive, not the touch, but taste 

Deceived : they fondly thinking to allay 

Their appetite with gust, instead of fruit 565 

Chew'd bitter ashes ; which th' offended taste 

With spatt'riug noise rejected. Oft they assay'd, 

Hunger and thirst constraining, drugg'd as oft 

With hatefullest disrelish, writhed their jaws 

With soot and cinders fill'd ; so oft they fell 570 

Into the same illusion, not as Man 

Whom they triumph 'd once lapsed. Thus were they plagued, 

And worn with famine long, and ceaseless hiss, 

560. Megcera : One of the Furies, whose hair, like Medusa's, consisted of 
serpents. 

562. Bituminous lake, <§r. : The lake Asphaltites (or Dead Sea) , near which 
Sodom and Gomorrha were situated. Josephus affirms that the shapes and 
fashions of them and those other cities called the cities of the plain, were to be 
seen in his days, and trees laden with fair fruit (styled the apples of Sodom) , 
rising out of the ashes, which at the first touch dissolved into ashes and smoke, 
Wars of the Jews, book iv. c. 8. But this fair fruitage was more deceitful 
and disappointing than Sodom's cheating apples, which only deceived the 
touch, by dissolving into ashes ; but this endured the handling, the more to 
vex and disappoint their taste, by filling the mouths of the damned with 
grating cinders and bitter ashes, instead of allaying their scorching thirst, 
provoking and inflaming it : so handsomely has our author improved (en- 
hanced) their punishment. — H. 

565. Oust: Relish. 

568. Drugged: This is a metaphor taken from the general nauseousness of 
drugs, when they are taken by way of medicine. — P. Tormented with the 
taste usually found in drugs. — R. 

572. Whom they triumph' 'd once lapsed : That is, whom tney triumphed (over) 
once fell. 

573. Long and ceaseless hiss: (With 11 long, &c. 

574. Permitted: Being permitted. This idea Warburton supposes to have 
neen taken from the old romances, of which Milton was a great reader ; or 
from Ariosto, can. xliii. st. 98, which comes nearer to it than any other work. 



book x. 445 

Till their lost shape, permitted, they resumed ; 

Yearly enjoin'd, some say, to undergo 575 

This annual humbling certain number'd days, 

To dash their pride, and joy for Man seduced. 

However, some tradition they dispersed 

Among the Heathen of their purchase got, 

And fabled how the Serpent, whom they call'd 580 

Ophion with Eurynome, the wide 

Encroaching Eve perhaps, had first the rule 

Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driv'n 

And Ops, ere yet Dictasan Jove was born. 

Mean while, in Paradise the hellish pair 580 

Too soon arrived, Sin there in Pow'r before, 

578-79 It deserves remark, says Kitto, that in most of the accounts of the 
dragon, or serpent, whom the heathen regarded as the source of evil, he is 
called Typhon, or Python, a word which signifies " to over-persuade, to de- 
ceive." Now, this very name Pitho or Python, designates the great deceiver 
of mankind. When the damsel at Philippi is said to have been possessed by 
"a spirit of divination," it is called, in the original, '' a spirit of Python,' 
manifestly showing that the pagan Python was, and could be, no other than 
" that Old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole 
world" (Rev. xii. 9) . 

5S0-84. Our author is endeavouring to show that there was some tradition 
among the heathen of the great power that Satan had obtained over mankind ; 
and this he proves by what is related of Ophion with Eurynome. Ophion with 
Eurynome. he says, had first the rule of high Olympus, and were driven thence 
by Saturn and Ops. or Rhea, ere yet their son, Dictaan Jove, was born, so 
called from Dicte, a mountain of Crete, where he was educated. Milton 
seems to have taken this story from Apollonius Rhodius. 

Now Ophion, according to the Greek etymology, signifies a serpent, and 
therefore Milton conceives that by Ophion the Old Serpent might be intended, 
the serpent whom they called Ophion; and Eurynome, signifying wide-ruling, he 
says, bit says doubtfully, that she might be the wide-encroaching Eve perhaps. 
This epithet is applied to Eve, to show the similitude between her and Eu- 
rynome, and why he takes the one for the other; and therefore, in allusion to 
the name of Eurynome, he styles Eve the wide-encroaching, as extending her 
rule and dominion further than she should over her husband, and affecting 
godhead. — N. 

5S6. Sin in power : That is, sin potential. Sin at first existed in possibility, 
not in act. Actual once : It became actual, though not " in body," when 
Adam violated God's prohibition. It came in body upon the arrival of this 



446 PARADISE LOST. 

Once actual, now in body, and to dwell 

Habitual habitant; behind her Death 

Close following, pace for pace, not mounted yet 

On his pale horse : to whom Sin thus began : 590 

Second of Satan sprung, all-conquering Death, 
What think'st thou of our empire now, tho' earn'd 
With travel difficult ? Not better far 
Than still at Hell's dark threshold to have sat watch, 
Unnamed, undrcaded, and thyself half starved ? 595 

Whom thus the Sin-born monster answer'd soon : 
To me, who with eternal famine pine, 
Alike is Hell, or Paradise, or Heav'n ; 
There best, where most with ravin I may meet ; 
Which here, tho' plenteous, all too little seems 600 

To stuff this maw, this vast unhide-bound corpse. 

To whom the incestuous mother thus reply'd : 
Thou therefore on these herbs, and fruits, and flow'rs, 
Feed first, on each beast next, and fish, and fowl, 
No homely morsels ; and whatever thing 605 

The scythe of Time mows down, devour unspared ; 

imaginary personage, which, however, emblematically denotes the propen- 
sities to sin that existed in the bodies and souls of men after the apostacy ; as 
the shadowy representation of Death, next spoken of, images to us the actual 
or real death to which every human body, from its connection with sin, is 
inevitably subjected. 

588-90. Behind her Death, $c. : See Rev. vi. 8. 

Milton has given a fine turn to this poetical thought, by saying that Death 
had not mounted yet on his pale horse ; for, though he was to have a long 
and all-conquering power, he had not yet begun, neither was he for some 
time to put it into execution. — Greenwood. 

593. Not better, <§r. : Is it not better? &c. 

599. Ravin: Prey. 

601. Corpse: A contemptuous term, signifying, in this place, body. Un- 
hidc-bound : Not hide-bound ; not filled, but lank. 

606. Scythe of Time: An allusion, perhaps, to the pagan god Saturn, called 
by the Greeks Chronos, Time. He was accordingly represented as devouring 
his own children, and casting them up again, as Time devours and consumes 
all things which it has produced, which at length revive again, and are, as it 
were, renewed : or else days, months, and years are the children of Time 



book x. 447 

Till I in Man, residing through the race, 

His thoughts, his looks, words, actions, all infect, 

And season him thy last and sweetest prey. 

This said, they both betook them sev'ral ways, 610 

Both to destroy or unimmortal make 
All kinds, and for destruction to mature 
Sooner or later ; which th' Almighty seeing, 
From his transcendent seat the Saints amoug, 
To those bright Orders utter'd thus his voice: 615 

See with what heat these dogs of Hell advance 
To waste and havoc yonder world, which I 
So fair and good created, and had still 
Kept in that state, had not the folly of Man 
Let in these wasteful furies, who impute 620 

Folly to me ! So doth the Prince of Hell 
And his adherents, that with so much ease 
1 suffer them to enter and possess 
A place so heav'nly, and conniving seem 

To gratify my scornful enemies, 625 

That laugh as if, transported with some fit 
Of passion, I to them had quitted all, 
At random yielded up to their misrule, 

which he constantly devours and produces anew. He was generally repre- 
sented as an old man bent through age and infirmity, holding a scythe in his 
right hand, with a serpent, which bites its own tail, in the left ; which is an 
emblem of Time, and of the revolution of the year. In his left hand he holds 
a child, which he is raising up, as if with the design of devouring it. bee 
Anthon's Diet. 

611. Unimmortal: Mortal; implying that these things would have been 
immortal had not sin entered the world. 

616. These dogs of Hell, fyc. : Upon the arrival of Sin and Death into the 
works of the creation, the Almighty is again introduced as speaking to his 
angels that surrounded him. — A. 

Newton thinks some of the expressions in this speech too coarse and low 
to accord either with the dignity of an epic poem, or with the majesty of the 
Divine Speaker; yet they are not altogether without vindication, on the 
ground that similar expressions are attributed to the same speaker in the 
sacred writings ; and besides, it has been remarked that Homer often puts 
such language into the mouths of his gods and heroes. 



448 PARADISE LOST. 

And know not that I call'd and drew them thither, 

My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth 630 

Which Man's polluting sin with taint hath shed 

On what was pure, till cramra'd and gorged, nigh hurst 

With suck'd and glutted offal, at one sling 

Of thy victorious arm, well-pleasing Son, 

Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave, at last, 635 

Thro' Chaos hurl'd, obstruct the mouth of Hell 

For ever, and seal up his ravenous jaws. 

Then Heav'n and Earth renew'd, shall be made pure 

To sanctity, that shall receive no stain : 

Till then, the curse pronounced on both precedes. 640 

He ended, and the heav'nly audience loud 
Sung Halleluiah, as the sound of seas, 
Through multitude that sung : Just are thy ways, 
Righteous are thy decrees on all thy works ; 
Who can extenuate thee ? Next, to the Son, 645 

Destined Restorer of mankind, by whom 
New Heav'n and Earth shall to the ages rise, 

630. Draff: Waste matter. 

635. Death and yawning Grave, §c. : Death and the Grave, meaning the 
same, is a pleonasm, an abounding fulness of expression, which, adding force 
and energy, and calling forth the attention, is a beauty common in the best 
writeis. But not for that reason only has Milton used it; the Scripture has 
thus joined Death and the Grave, Hos. xiii. 14: 1 Cor. xv. 55: Rev. xx. 13, 
where the word rendered " Hell" signifies also the Grave. — R. 

640. On both precedes: That is, on Heaven and Earth (638), by which 
terms are meant the Earth and its atmosphere (647 ; Book II. 1004) , which 
the sin of man had polluted, and which were to be renewed and devoted to 
sanctity. Till sin and Death should be overcome by Messiah (634-37) , the 
curse pronounced upon them proceeds (as Dr. Bentley alters the reading) . 
With the common reading, precedes, Mr. Richardson explains the passage as 
meaning, that the curse pronounced shall go before those ravagers, Sin and 
Death, and shall direct and lead them on. 

642. Sound of seas, §c. : Rev. xiv. i. 2. 

643. Rev. xv. 3, 4 : xvi. 7 : xix. 6. 

645. Extenuate thee : Lessen thee in honour. 

647. To the ages rise : To ages of endless date, XII. 549. Rise from the state 
of conflagration (raised from the confla grant, mass. XII. 547, and springing from 
the ashes, III. 334) . 



BOOK X. -149 

Or down from Heav'n descend. Such was their song. 

While the Creator, calling forth by name 

His mighty Angels, gave them several charge, 650 

As sorted best with present things. The sun 

Had first his precept so to move, so shine, 

As might affect the earth with cold and heat 

Scarce tolerable ; and from the north to call 

Decrepit winter ; from the south to bring 055 

Solstitial summer's heat. To the blank moon 

Her office they prescribed ; to th' other five 

Their planetary motions and aspects 

Or down. fyc. : This accords with John's description of the New Jerusalem 
coming down from God out of Heaven, Rev. xxi. 2. 

650-714. Several charge, fyc: Here notice the command which the angels 
received to produce the several changes in nature, and mar the beauty of 
creation. They are represented as infecting the stars and planets with ma- 
lignant influences, weakening the light of the sun, bringing down the winter 
into the milder regions of nature, planting winds and storms in several quar- 
ters of the sky, storing the clouds with thunder, and, in short, perverting the 
whole frame of the universe to the condition of its criminal inhabitants. A 
noble incident is embraced in those lines of this passage, in which we see the 
angels heaving up the earth and placing it in a different posture towards the 
sun from what it had before the fall of man : it is conceived with that sub- 
lime imagination which was so peculiar to this great author. — A. 

655. From the south, $c. : This quarter was represented by the ancient 
poets as the region of heat. Solstitial : Such as exists at the time of the sum- 
mer solstice, about the 22d of June 

656. Blank : Pale, white, from the French word blanc. 

658. Aspects: The relative situations of the planets with respect to each 
other, determined by the angle formed by the rays of light proceeding from 
any two planets and meeting at the eye. There are five aspects ; sextile, 
when the planets thus viewed are 60° apart, or the sixth part of the Zodiac; 
square, quadrate or quartile, when their angular distance is 90°, or fourth part 
of the Zodiac ; trine, when a third part, or 120^ ; opposite, or in opposition, 
when occupying an opposite position in the Zodiac, or 180° apart ; conjunc- 
tion, when seen in the same part of the heavens. To this last aspect Milton re- 
fers in the expression, join in synod (661) . Fixed : That is. the stars, in distinc- 
tion from the planets, which, unlike the former, move in relation to each other. 

The aspects above described, for ages were groundlessly supposed to exert 
upon individuals and nations a controlling influence, favourable or disastrous ; 
and it was the object of astrology, from these aspects, to attempt to predict 
the fortunes of men. See Brande, Art. Astrology. 

C c 



450 PARADISE LOST. 

In sextile, square, and trine, and opposite 

Of noxious efficacy, and when to join 660 

In synod unbenign ; and taught the fix'd 

Their influence malignant when to show'r, 

Which of them rising with the sun, or falling, 

Should prove tempestuous ; to the winds they set 

Their corners, when with bluster to confound 665 

Sea, air, and shore, the thunder when to roll 

With terror through the dark aereal hall. 

Some say, he bid his Angels turn askance 

The poles of earth twice ten degrees and more 

•From the sun's axle ; they with labour push'd 670 

660. Of noxious efficacy, fyc. : If an unnecessary ostentation of learning be, 
as Mr. Addison observes, one of our author's faults, it certainly must be an 
aggravation of it when he not only introduces, but countenances, such en- 
thusiastic, unphilosophical notions as this jargon of the astrologers is made 
up of. — Tiiyer. 

665. Their corners, &>c. : Their individual, or separate places. Wlxen : We 
must prefix "and taught them," as in 660-61. The thunder, §c: That is, 
when to roll the thunder. Dark aerial hall : The sky darkened by the clouds 
whence the thunder proceeds. 

668. Bid his Angels, fyc. : It was eternal spring (IV 268) before the fall ; 
and he is now accounting for the change of seasons after the fall, and men- 
tions the two famous hypotheses. Some say it was occasioned by altering 
the position of the Earth, by turning the poles of the Earth above 20 degrees 
aside from the Sun's axle, he bid his angels turn, fyc. ( 668-70 \ and the poles 
of the Earth are about twenty-three and a half degrees distant from those of 
the ecliptic. 

670. They with labour pushed oblique the centric globe (the Earth) ; It was 
erect before, but is oblique now. Centric : As being the centre of the world 
according to the Ptolemaic system, which our author usually follows. 

Some say again (671 \ this change was occasioned by altering the course of 
the sun ; the sun was bid turn reins from the equinoctial road, in which he had 
moved before, like distant breadth in both hemispheres, to Taurus with the seven 
Atlantic Sisters (673-74 ), the constellation Taurus, with the seven stars in 
his neck ; the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and the Spartan Twins ; the sign 
Gemini, Castor and Pollux, twin-brothers, and sons of Tyndarus, king of 
Sparta, up to the Tropic Crab, the tropic of Cancer, the sun's furthest stage 
northwards. Thence down amain (675) , Dr. Bentley reads as much, as much 
on one side of the equator as the other ; or, if altered, it may be read, thence 
down again by Leo and the Virgin, the sign Virgo and the Scales, the constel- 



BOOK X. 461 

Oblique the centric globe. Some say, the sun 

Was bid turn reins from th' equinoctial road 

Like distant breadth to Taurus with the seven 

Atlantic Sisters, and the Spartan Twins 

Up to the Tropic Crab ; thence down amain 675 

By Leo, and the Virgin, and the Scales, 

As deep as Capricorn, to bring in change 

Of seasons to each clime ; else had the spring 

Perpetual smiled on earth with vernant flow'rs, 

Equal in days and nights, except to those 680 

Beyond the polar circles ; to them day 

Had unbenighted shone, while the low sun, 

To recompense his distance, in their sight 

.Sad rounded still th' horizon, and not known 

Or east or west, which had forbid the snow 685 

From cold Estotiland, and south as far 

Beneath Magellan. At that tasted fruit, 

The sun, as from Thyestean banquet, turn'd 



lation Libra, as deep as Capricorn, the tropic of Capricorn, which is the sun's 
furthest progress southwards. This motion of the sun in the ecliptic occa- 
sions the v ariety of seasons, else had the spring perpetual smiled on earth with 
vernant flowers (,678-79,, if the sun had continued to move in the equator. — 
N. 

612. Turn reins : There seems to be an allusion here to the story of Phaeton, 
who having obtained permission of the sun-god. his father, to guide for a 
single day the chariot of the sun, grasped the reins, but was unable to keep 
in their proper course the flame-breathing steeds. 

673. To Taurus: Dr. Bentley reads, through Taurus, which Dr. Newton 
approves, as answering to by Leo 676 . 

6S2. Unbenighted : Without night to succeed it. 

636. Estotiland: A region in North America, near Hudson's Bay. Ma- 
gellan: The straits near the southern extremity of South America. Beneath, 
in the sense of beyond. 

688 Thystean banquet : The legend is thus told: Astreus, a king of My- 
rent', had a quarrel with his brother Thyestes, but invited him to a feast in 
token of reconciliation. At this feast he. however, indulged his revenge by 
serving- up the flesh of two sons of Thyestes whom he had killed, and while 
Thyestes was eating, he caused the heads and hands of his slaughtered chil- 
dren to be brought in and shown to him. The sun, it is said, at the sight of 



452 PARADISE LOST. 

His course intended ; else how had the world 

Inhabited, though sinless, more than now, 690 

Avoided pinching cold and scorching heat ? 

These changes in the Heav'ns, tho' slow, produced 

Like change on sea and land ; sideral blast, 

Vapour and mist, and exhalation hot, 

Corrupt and pestilent : now from the north 695 

Of Norumbega, and the Samoed shore, 

Bursting their brazen dungeon, arm'd with ice, 

And snow, and hail, and stormy gust, and flaw, 

Boreas, and Caecias, and Argestes loud, 

And Thrascias, rend the woods, and seas upturn ; 700 

With adverse blast upturns them from the south 

Notus and Afer black, with thund'rous clouds 

From Serraliona. Thwart of these as fierce 

Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent winds, 

Eurus and Zephyr, with their lateral noise, 705 

Sirocco and Libecchio. Thus began 

Outrage from lifeless things ; but Discord, first, 

Daughter of Sin, among th' irrational, 

Death introduced, through fierce antipathy. 

Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl with fowl, 710 

And fish with fish ; to graze the herb all leaving, 

this horrible deed, checked his chariot in the midst of his course. See An- 
thon, art. Atreus, and the "Agamemnon" of iEschylus. 

693. Sideral blast : Pernicious influence of stars. An allusion to astrology. 

696. Norumbega: A province of the northern Armenia. Samoed shore: 
The northeast shore of Asiatic Russia. 

699. Boreas: North wind. Ccecias : E. N. E. Argestes: N. W. Thras- 
cias: N. N. W., the wind blowing from Thrace. 

702. Notus : South wind. Afer : S. W. 

703. From Serraliona, or Lion-mountains, near Cape Verd, in Southwestern 
Africa — deriving their name from the storms which there roar like a lion. 
Eurus and Zephyr (705) . East and West, bearing also the names Levant and 
Ponent (rising and setting) . the one blowing from where the sun rises, the 
other from where he sets. Sirocco and Libecchio (706) : Italian terms used 
by seamen of the Mediterranean, for the Southeast and Southwest. 

707. Outrage: Injury. 

711. To graze the herb all leaving : This implies that beasts, fowl, and fish 



book x. 453 

Devour'd each other ; Dor stood much in awe 

Of man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim 

Glared on him passing. These were from without 

The growing miseries, which Adam saw 715 

Already in part, though hid in gloomiest shade, 

To sorrow abandon 'd, but worse felt within ; 

And in a troubled sea of passion tost, 

Thus to disburden sought with sad complaint. : 

miserable of happy ! Is this the end 720 

Of this new glorious world, and me so late 
The glory of that glory, who now, become 
Accursed of blessed, hide me from the face 
Of God, whom to behold was then my height 
Of happiness ? Yet well, if here would end 725 

all grazed before the fall, and immediately after began to devour one another 
by classes : the fowl preyed upon fowl, fish upon fish, and beast upon beast. 
Of the fish, Milton says, VIII. 404, that they "graze the sea-weed their 
pasture.' - ' 

713. But fled him, under the influence of fear. They did not stand in awe. 
This would not have induced flight, being a mingled emotion of reverence 
and affection. 

714. These were from without, §c. : The transition to Adam here is very 
easy and natural, and cannot fail of pleasing the reader. We have seen 
great alterations produced in nature, and it is now time to see how Adam is 
affected with them, and whether the disorders within are not even worse 
than those without. — N. 

718. And in a troubled sea, §c. : A metaphor taken from a ship in a tem- 
pest, unlading, disburdening, to preserve itself from sinking by its weight. — 
R. 

7?1. Of happy : From happy, from (being) bappy. So (723) of blessed, 
from (being) blessed. According to Webster, the primary meaning of the 
preposition of is from, out of, proceeding from. 

725. Milton's art is nowhere more shown than in his conducting the parts 
of our first parents. The representation he gives of them, without falsify- 
ing the story, is wonderfully contrived to influence the reader with pity and 
a mpassion towards them. Though Adam involves the whole species in 
ri.isery, his crime proceeds from a weakness which every man is inclined to 
pardon and commiserate, as it seems rather the frailty of human nature than 
of the person who offended. Every one is too apt to excuse a fault which 
he himself misrht have fallen into. It was the excess of love for Eve that 



454 PARADISE LOST. 

The misery. I deserved it, and would bear 

My own deservings ; but this will not serve ; 

All that I eat or drink, or shall beget, 

Is propagated curse ! voice once heard 

Delightfully, ' Increase and multiply ;' 730 

Now death to hear ! For what can I increase 

Or multiply, but curses on my head ? 

Who, of all ages to succeed, but feeling 

The evil on him brought by me, will curse 

My head ? Ill fare our ancestor impure ! 735 

For this we may thank Adam ! but his thanks 

Shall be the execration ! So besides 

Mine own that bide upon me, all from me 

Shall with a fierce reflux on me redound ; 

On me, as on their natural centre, light 740 

Heavy, though in their place. O fleeting joys 

Of Paradise, dear bought with lasting woes ! 

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay 

To mould me man ? Did I solicit thee 

From darkness to promote me, or here place 745 

In this delicious garden ? As my will 

Concurr'd not to my being, it were but right 

ruined Adam and his posterity. I need not add, that the author is justified 
in this particular by many of the fathers, and the most orthodox writers. — 
A. 

729. Propagated curse : Meat and drink propagate it by prolonging life ; 
and children, by carrying it on beyond me. 

739. Reflux : A flowing back. 

740. As on their natural centre, <§-c. : There is a reference here to some 
exploded notions in philosophy, which it is not easy, or worth while, to ex- 
plain. Bishop Newton's explanation is about as unintelligible as the text 
itself. 

743-50. Did J request Thee, §c : The sentiments ascribed to Adam and 
Eve in this Book, are adapted not only to interest the reader in their afflic- 
tions, but to excite in him the tenderest feelings of humanity and commis- 
eration. When Adam observes the several changes of nature produced 
around him, he appears in a disorder of mind suitable to one who had for- 
feited both his innocence and his happiness — he is filled with horror, re- 
morse, and despair — in the anguish of his heart he expostulates with his 
Creator for having giver, him an unasked existence. — A. 



book x. 455 

And equal to reduce me to my dust ; 

Desirous to resign and render back 

All I received, unable to perform 750 

Thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold 

The good I sought not. To the loss of that, 

Sufficient penalty, why hast thou added 

The sense of endless woes ? Inexplicable 

Thy justice seems ; yet, to say truth, too late 755 

I thus contest : then should have been refused 

Those terms whatever, when they were proposed. 

Thou didst accept them. Wilt thou enjoy the good, 

Then cavil the conditions ? And though God 

Made thee without thy leave, what if thy son , 760 

Prove disobedient, and reproved, retort, 

Wherefore didst thou beget me ? I sought it not. 

Wouldst thou admit for his contempt of thee 

That proud excuse ? yet him not thy election, 

But natural necessity begot. 765 

God made thee of choice his own, and of his own 

To serve him : thy reward was of his grace ; 

Thy punishment then, justly, is at his will. 

Be it so, for I submit : his doom is fair, 

That dust I am, and shall to dust return. 770 

welcome hour whenever ! Why delays 

His hand to execute what his decree 



758. Thou didst, fyc. : The change of persons, sometimes speaking of him- 
self in the first, and sometimes to himself in the second, is very remarkable 
in this speech, as well as the change of passions. In like manner he speaks 
sometimes of God and sometimes to God. — N. 

783. All I : All of me. See, 792. A similar expression is used by 
Horace in Book iii. Od. 30 : 6 : 

" Non omnis moriar ; multaquc pars mei 
Vitabit lihitinam." 

771-782. Why delays, 6,-c. : Adam here recovers from his presumption, 
owns his doom to be just, and begs that the death which is threatened him 
may be inflicted on him. The whole speech is full of emotion, and varied 
with all those sentiments which we may suppose natural to a mind so 
broken and disturbed. The generous concern which our first father show's 
in it for his posterity is suited to affect the reader, 723-735, 817-825.— A. 



456 PARADISE LOST. 

Fix'd on this day ? Why do I overlive ? 

Why am 1 mock'd with death, and lengthen'd out 

To deathless pain ? How gladly would I meet 775 

Mortality, my sentence, and be earth 

Insensible ! How glad would lay me down, 

As in my mother's lap ! There I should rest, 

And sleep secure ; his dreadful voice no more 

Would thunder in my ears ! No fear of worse 780 

To me and to my offspring would torment me 

With cruel expectation ! Yet one doubt 

Pursues me still, lest all I cannot die ; 

Lest that pure breath of life, the spirit of Man 

Which God inspired, cannot together perish 785 

With this corporeal clod ! then in the grave, 

Or in some other dismal place, who knows 

But I shall die a living death ! thought 

Horrid, if true ! Yet why ? It was but breath 

Of life that sinn'd. What dies but what had life 790 

And sin ? The body, properly, hath neither. 

All of me then shall die. Let this appease 

The doubt, since human reach no further knows ; 

For though the Lord of all be infinite, 

Is his wrath also ? Be it, Man is not so, 795 

But mortal doom'd. How can he exercise 

Wrath without end on Man whom death must end ? 

Can he make deathless death ? That were to make 

Strange contradiction, which to God himself 

Impossible is held ; as argument 800 

Of weakness, not of pow'r. Will he draw out, 

For anger's sake, finite to infinite, 

784. Breath of life: Gen. ii. 7. 

792. Ml of me then shall die : It is here taken for granted that the body is 
mortal. This follows from the sentence, 769-70. 

800. Argument: Proof. 

802. Finite to infinite, $c. : Adam had argued (794) that although the Lord 
of all is infinite, and although his wrath should be so too, yet man is not in- 
finite in duration, having been doomed to death (796: ; and hence, as death 
terminates man's existence, it must terminate also the punishment inflicted. 



book x. 457 

In punish'd Man, to satisfy his rigour, 

Satisfy 'd never ? That were to extend 

His sentence beyond dust and Nature's law, 805 

By which all causes else, according still 

To the reception of their matter, act, 

Not to th' extent of their own sphere. But say 

That death be not one stroke, as I supposed, 

Bereaving sense, but endless misery 810 

From this day onward, which I feel begun 

Both in me and without me, and so last 

To perpetuity ! Ah me ! that fear 

Comes thund'ring back with dreadful revolution 

On my defenceless head ! Both Death and I 815 

Am found eternal, and incorporate both ! 

He argues, further, that a deathless death is an absurdity, a contradiction in 
terms. But will he. for anger's sake, give to the finite being of punished 
man, infinity ? Will he, for the sake of satisfying his extreme rigour, give 
to man a capacity which does not belong to him — a capacity like his own? 
That would be a transcending of the sentence passed upon man, " Dust thou 
art, and unto dust shall thou return." It would also transcend a law of 
nature, by which all causes, act, $c. (806-8) — that is, by which all efficient 
causes act according to the capacity of the recipient, (reception of their mat- 
ter', and not to the cxtnit of their own sphere or capacity. 

This must have been Milton's meaning, if, as Newton supposes, he alludes 
to the following scholastic axiom: "Omne efficiens agit secundum vires 
recipientis, non suas." The school divinity of the middle ages, was much 
studied and admired by some in Milton's day, and hence the acquaintance 
with it he himself discovers; yet, in our day, the greater part of it is held 
of small account. 

81 0. Bereaving sense : Taking away sensibility, and rendering incapable 
of feeling, and, of course, of pain. 

814. Comes thundering, §c. : The thought is as fine as it is natural. The 
sinner may invent ever so many arguments in favour of the annihilation and 
utter extinction of the soul ; but, after all his subterfuges and evasions, the 
fear of a future state, and the dread of everlasting punishment, will still pur- 
sue him. He may put it off for a time, but it will return with dreadful revo- 
lution; and let him affect what serenity and gaiety he pleases, will, not- 
withstanding, in the midst of it all, come thundering back on his defenceless 
head. — N. 

816. And incorporate both: Lodged both together in one mortal body 
Rom. vii. 24, '' Who shall deliver me from the body of this death." — H. 
2 ) 



458 PARADISE LOST. 

Nor I on my part single : in me all 

Posterity stands cursed ! Fair Patrimony 

That I must leave ye, Sons ! O were I able 

To waste it all myself, and leave ye none ! 820 

So disinherited, how could ye bless 

Me, now your curse ! Ah, why should all mankind 

For one man's fault thus guiltless be condemn'd, 

If guiltless ? But from me what can proceed 

But all corrupt, both mind and will depraved ; 825 

Not to do only, but to will the same 

With me ! How can they then acquitted stand 

In sight of God ? Him, after all disputes, 

Forced, I absolve. All my evasions vain, 

And reasonings, tho' through mazes, lead me still S30 

But to my own conviction. First and last 

On me, me only, as the source and spring 

Of all corruption, all the blame lights due ; 

So might the wrath. Fond wish ! could thou support 

That burden, heavier than the earth to bear, 835 

Than all the world much heavier, though divided 

With that bad Woman ? Thus, what thou desirest 

And what thou fear'st, alike destroys all hope 

Of refuge, and concludes thee miserable 

Beyond all past example and future : 840 

834. So might the wrath : A wish is here expressed, as in III. 34, " So 
were I equalled with them in renown." 

835-3G. Heavier, fyc. : This word is elegantly arranged in these two lines, 
11 Heavier than the earth," "than all the world much heavier,'" presenting a 
contrast, and a fine climax. The burden is not only heavier than the earth, 
but heavier than all the ivorld — the universe around it; not only heavier but 
much heavier. 

840. Beyond all past example and future : The accent is upon the second 
syllable of future, as in the Latin. As Adam is here speaking in great 
agony of mind, he aggravates his own misery, and concludes it to be greater 
and worse than that of the fallen angels, or all future men. as having in him- 
self alone the source of misery for all his posterity; whereas both angels 
and men had only their own to bear. Satan was like him only as being the 
ringleader ; and this added very much to his remorse, as we read in I. 602. 
— N. 



BOOK X. 459 

To Satan only like, both crime and doom. 

Conscience ! into what abyss of fears 

And horrors hast thou driven me ! out of which 

1 find no way ! from deep to deeper plunged ! 

Thus Adam to himself lamented loud 845 

Through the still night, not now, as ere Man fell, 
Wholesome, and cool, and mild, but with black air 
Accompany'd, with damps and dreadful gloom, 
Which to his evil conscience represented 

All things with double terror. On the ground 850 

Outstretch'd he lay, on the cold ground, and oft 
Cursed his creation ; Death as oft accused 
Of tardy execution, since denounced 
The day of his offence. Why comes not Death, 
Said he, with one thrice-acceptable stroke, 855 

To end me ! Shall Truth fail to keep her word ! 
Justice divine not hasten to be just ? 
But Death comes not at call ; Justice divine 
Mends not her slowest pace for pray'rs or cries. 
woods, fountains, hillocs, dales, and bow'rs ! 860 

With other echo late I taught your shades 
To answer, and resound far other other song ! 

Whom thus afflicted, when sad Eve beheld, 
Desolate where she sat, approaching nigh, 



841. Crime: As to crime. 

846. The still night: Newton assigns various reasons for the opinion, that 
this was some other night than that immediately alter the fall. 

850. On the ground: Who can behold the father of mankind extended 
upon the earth, uttering his midnight complaints, bewailing his existence 
and wishing for death, without sympathizing with him in his distress ? — • 
A. 

861. With other echo : Alluding to a part of Adam's morning hymn. V. 
202-5. 

863. When sad Eve, fyc. : The part of Eve in this Book is no less passion- 
ate, and apt to sway the reader in her favour. She is represented with great 
tenderness as approaching Adam, but is spurned from him with a spirit of 
upbraiding and indignation, conformable to the nature of man, whose pas- 
sions had now gained the dominion over him. — A. 



460 PARADISE LOST. 

Soft words to his fierce passion she assay'd : 865 

But her with stern regard he thus repell'd : 

Out of my sight, thou Serpent ! that name best 
Befits thee with him leagued, thyself as false 
And hateful ! nothing wants, but that thy shape 
Like his, and colour serpentine, may shew 870 

Thy inward fraud, to warn all creatures from thee 
Henceforth, lest that too heav'nly form, pretended 
To hellish falsehood, snare them. But for thee 
I had persisted happy, had not thy pride 

And wand'ring vanity, when least was safe, 875 

Rejected my forewarning, and disdain'd 
Not to be trusted ; longing to be seen 
Though by the Devil himself, him overweening 
To o'er-reach ; but with the Serpent meeting 
Fool'd and beguiled ; by him thou, I by thee, 880 

To trust thee from my side ; imagined wise, 
Constant, mature, proof against all assaults ; 
And understood not all was but a show 
Rather than solid virtue ; all but a rib 

Crooked by nature, bent, as now appears, 885 

More to the part sinister, from me drawn ; 
Well if thrown out, as supernumerary 
To my just number found. ! why did God, 

872. Pretended to hellish falsehood : A Latin idiom, the literal sense of 
which is, held before, or in front of, licllish falsehood, as a covering. 

876. Not, modifies to he trusted. 

878. Overweening, fyr. : Conceitedly thinking. 

880. The meaning is: Thou by him wast fooled and beguiled; 1 was 
fooled and beguiled by thee, to trust thee from my side, accounted to be wise, 
constant, &c. and I understood not, &c. 

886. Sinister : Left, wrong. Adam contemptuously refers to the crooked 
rib out of which Eve was formed, and asserts that she. in her moral con- 
duct, had become more crooked, more bent to the sinister part, to the wrong 
course, than the rib was crooked in its shape, which had been drawn from 
him. 

SS8. To my fust number found: Namely twenty-four, twelve on each side. 
Some writers have been of opinion that Adam had thirteen ribs on the left 
Bide, and 1b.nl out cf the thirteenth rib God formed Eve; and it is to this 



BOOK X. 461 

Creator wise, that peopled highest Heav'n 
With Spirits masculine, create at last 890 

This novelty on earth, this fair defect 
Of nature, and not fill the world at once 
With Men, as Angels, without feminine, 
Or find some other way to generate 

Mankind ? This mischief had not then hefall'n, 895 

And more that shall befall ; innumerable 
Disturbances on earth, through female snares, 
And straight conjunction with this sex: for either 
He never shall find out fit mate, but such 

As some misfortune brings him, or mistake ; 900 

Or whom he wishes most shall seldom gain, 
Through her perverseness, but shall see her gain'd 
By a far worse ; or if she love, withheld 
By parents ; or his happiest choice too late 
Shall meet, already link'd and wedlock-bound 905 

To a fell adversary, his hate or shame : 
Which infinite calamity shall cause 
To human life, and household-peace confound. 
He added not, and from her turn'd. But Eve, 



opinion that Milton here alludes, and makes Adam say, It was well if this rib 
was thrown out, as supernumerary to his just number. — N. 

why did God, fyc. : This thought was originally that of Euripides, who 
makes Hippolytus in like manner expostulate with Jupiter for not creating 
man without woman. — Hippol. 616. 

And Jason is made to talk in the same strain in the Medea, 573. And 
such sentiments as these procured Euripides the name of the woman-hj.ter. 
Nor are similar examples wanting in old English authors that Milton may 
have read : in Thomas Brown's Religio Medici, sec. 9. and in Shakspeare's 
Cymbeline, act 2, and Midsummer Night's Dream, act 1. — N. 

898. Straight : Intimate. For either, §c. : I have often thought it was a 
great pity that Adam's speech had not ended where these lines begin ; as he 
could not very naturally be supposed at that time to foresee so very circum- 
stantially the inconveniences which he describes. — Thyer. 

909-46. He added not, $c. : The following passage, wherein Eve is de- 
scribed as renewing her addresses to Adam, and the whole speech that fol- 
lows it, are exquisitely moving and pathetic. Adam's reconcilement to her 
is worked up in the same spirit of tenderness. — A. 



462 PARADISE LOST. 

Not so repulsed, with tears that ceased not flowing, 910 

And tresses all disordered, at his feet 

Fell humble, and embracing them, besought 

His peace ; and thus proceeded in her plaint : 

Forsake me not thus, Adam ! Witness, Heav'n, 
What love sincere, and rev'rence in my heart 915 

I bear thee, and unweeting have offended, 
Unhappily deceived ! Thy suppliant, 
I beg, and clasp thy knees. Bereave me not, 
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid, 
Thy counsel in this uttermost distress, 920 

My only strength and stay. Forlorn of thee, 
Whither shall I betake me ? where subsist ? 
While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps, 
Between us two let there be peace ; both joining, 
As join'd in injuries, one enmity 925 

Against a foe by doom express assign'd us, 
That cruel Serpent. On me exercise not 
Thy hatred for this misery befalls, 
On me already lost, me than thyself 

More miserable. Both have sinn'd ; but thou 930 

Against God only ; I against God and thee ; 
And to the place of judgment will return, 
There with my cries importune Heav'n, that all 
The sentence, from thy head removed, may light 
On me, sole cause to thee of all this woe ; 935 

Me, me only, just object of his ire ! 

916. Unweeting: Ignorant. 

921. Forlorn: Forsaken. 

926. By doom express, fyc. : Gen. iii. 15, " I will put enmity," &c. In this 
part of the poem Newton traces a close resemblance to some passages from 
the " Adamus Exsul" of Grotius, a Latin poem ; but, as usual, they have 
undergone a high degree of improvement under the operations of Milton's 
genius. 

936-946. Me, me only: The repetition of the pronoun imparts great 
pathos. 

The scene here described may have been drawn from the counterpart of 
it, a real one, in which himself and wife were the actors. His choice of 



book x. 463 

She ended weeping ; and her. lowly plight, 
Immoveable till peace obtain'd from fault 
Acknowledged and deplored, in Adam wrought 
Commiseration. Soon his heart relented -10 

Tow'rds her, his life so late, and sole delight, 
Now at his feet submissive in distress, 
Creature so fair his reconcilement seeking, 
His counsel, whom she had displeased, his aid ; 
As one disarm'd, his anger all he lost, 945 

And thus with peaceful words upraised her soon : 

Mary Powell, as a wife, was quite hasty, and proved to be adverse to his 
happiness. Being strongly attached, like all her family, to the royalist party, 
and accustomed to the affluent hospitality of her father's house, she soon 
became tired of a studious, recluse, and republican husband. After a month's 
experience of her new life, she sighed for the gaieties she had left behind, 
and, by the earnest reruest of her relatives, obtained permission to pay a 
short visit to Forest Hill, her father's residence, in Oxfordshire. But when 
the period fixed for her return arrived, she evinced no disposition to keep 
her word, but, on the contrary, treated her husband's letter with silence, and 
sent back his messenger with disdain. [Edinburgh Encycl'opcedia.] The 
royalist party being now in the ascendant, the Powells were the more in- 
clined, on that account, to break their connection with Milton, and Milton 
was provoked to form the scheme of repudiating a wife who had deserted 
him without just grounds Probably to prepare the way for this act, he 
wrote several treatises in vindication of divorce, on other grounds besides 
adultery. He had begun, also, to pay addresses to another lady, with the 
intention of seeking her hand in marriage. The Powells hearing of this, 
and having met with disasters and losses in the recent defeat of the royalist 
cause, were eager to bring about a reconciliation with the poet, who might 
aid them in their now broken fortunes. Milton's wife repaired to the hoise 
of one of his relatives, whom, as she knew, her husband often visited, and 
awaited his arrival. Great was his surprise to meet her there, and especially 
for such a purpose. It is said that she threw herself at his feet, confessed, 
in the most humble manner, her fault, and, with flowing tears, supplicated 
his forgiveness. 

At first he appeared to be unmoved and inexorable ; but, at length, the 
generosity of his temper, and the intercession of some mutual friends, con- 
quered his anger, and a perfect reconciliation took place, with the promise 
of oblivion of everything which had happened. Her relatives, on political 
grounds, it is supposed, being of the opposite party from her husband, had, 
probably, been the principal cause of these domestic troubles, though Milton 
himself is suspected of a supercilious and haughty demeanour towards his 
wife previous to this 



464 PARADISE LOST. 

Unwary and too desirous, as before, 
So now of what thou know'st not, who desir'st 
The punishment all on thyself ; alas, 

Bear thine own first, ill able to sustain 950 

His full wrath, whose thou feel'st as yet least part, 
And my displeasure bear'st so ill. If pray'rs 
Could alter high decrees, I to that place 
Would speed before thee, and be louder heard, 
That on my head all might be visited ; 955 

Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiven, 
To me committed, and by me exposed. 
But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame 
Each other, blamed enough elsewhere, but strive 
In offices of love, how we may lighten 960 

Each other's burden, in our share uf woe ; 
Since this day's death denounced, if aught I see, 
Will prove no sudden, but a slow-paced evil, 
A long day's dying to augment our pain, 
And to our seed (0 hapless seed !) derived. 965 

To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, reply'd: 
Adam, by sad experiment, I know 
How little weight my words with thee can find, 
Found so erroneous, thence by just event 

Found so unfortunate ! nevertheless, 970 

Restored by thee, vile as I am, to place 
Of new acceptance, hopeful to regain 
Thy love, the sole contentment of my heart 
Living or dying, from thee I will not hide 

What thoughts in my unquiet breast are risen, 975 

Tending to some relief of our extremes, 
Or end, though sharp and sad, yet tolerable, 
As in our evils, and of easier choice. 
If care of our descent perplex us most, 
Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd 980 

977. Or end, <§r. : Or to an end, though sharp and sad, yet tolerable, as in 
our evils, considering our ill situation, and of easier choice. 

079. Descent: Descendants. 



book x. 465 

By Daath at last ; and miserable it is 

To be to others cause" of misery, 

Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring 

Into this cursed world a woeful race, 

That after wretched life, must be at last 985 

Food for so foul a monster ! In thy pow'r 

It lies, yet ere conception, to prevent 

The race unblest, to being yet unbegot. 

Childless thou art, childless remain ; so Death 

Shall be deceived his glut, and with us two 990 

Be forced to satisfy his rav'nous maw. 

But if thou judge it hard and difficult, 

Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain 

From love's due rites, nuptial embraces sweet, 

And with desire to languish without hope, 995 

Before the present object languishing 

With like desire, which would be misery 

And torment less than none of what we dread, 

Then both ourselves and seed at once to free 

From what we fear for both let us make short ; 1000 

Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply 

With our own hands his office on ourselves. 

Why stand we longer shivering under fears, 

That shew no end but death, and have the pow'r 

Of many ways to die, the shortest choosing, 1005 

Destruction with destruction to destroy ? 

She ended here, or vehement despair 
Broke off the rest ; so much of death her thoughts 
Had entertain'd, as dyed her cheeks with pale. 
But Adam with such counsel nothing sway'd, 1010 

To better hopes his more attentive mind 
Labouring had raised ; and thus to Eve reply'd : 

990. Deceived his glut : Cheated of that which he hopes to swallow. 
1009. With pale: With paleness. 

1011. More attentive mind: Attending more to what had passed, calling to 
mind with heed their sentence, 1030. — N. 

1012-96. To Eve replied: The arguments of Adam in opposition to Eve's 

D D 



466 PARADISE LOST. 

Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems 

To argue in thee something more sublime 

And excellent than what thy mind contemns ; 1015 

But self-destruction therefore sought, refutes 

That excellence thought in thee, and implies, 

Not thy contempt, but anguish and regre 

For loss of life and pleasure overloved. 

Or if thou covet death, as utmost end 1020 

Of misery, so thinking to evade 

The penalty pronounced, doubt not but God 

Hath wiselier arm'd his vengeful ire than so 

To be forestall 'd ; much more I fear lest death 

So snatch'd will not exempt us from the pain 1025 

We are by doom to pay : rather such acts 

Of contumacy will provoke the Highest 

To make death in us live. Then let us seek 

Some safer resolution, which methinks 

I have in view, calling to mind with heed 1030 

Part of our sentence, that thy seed shall bruise 
The Serpent's head. Piteous amends ! unless 
Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe 
Satan, who in the serpent hath contrived 

Against us this deceit. To crush his head 1035 

Would be revenge indeed : which will be lost 
By death brought on ourselves, or childless days 
Resolved, as thou proposest ; so our foe 
•Shall 'scape his punishment ordain'd, and we 
Instead, shall double ours upon our heads. 1040 

No more be mention'd then of violence 
Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness, 

That cuts us off from hope, and savours only 

Rancour and pride, impatience and despite, 

Reluctance against God and his just yoke 1045 

Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild 

And gracious temper he both heard and judged, 

proposals in regard to suicide, and to remaining childless, display to great 
advantage the reasoning powers of the poet. 



book x 467 

Without wrath or reviling ! We expected 

Immediate dissolution, which we thought 

Was meant by death that day ; when lo ! to thee 1050 

Pains only in child-bearing were foretold, 

And bringing forth ; soon recompensed with joy, 

Fruit of thy womb. On me the curse aslope 

Glanced on the ground. With labour I must earn 

My bread. What harm ? Idleness had been worse : 1055 

My labour will sustain me. And lest cold 

Or heat should injure us, his timely care 

Hath unbesought provided, and his hands 

Cloth'd us, unworthy, pitying while he judged ; 

How much more, if we pray him, will his ear 1060 

Be open, and his heart to pity incline, 

And teach us farther by what means to shun 

Th' inclement seasons, rain, ice, hail, and snow ! 

Which now the sky with various face begins 

To shew us in this mountain, while the winds 1065 

Blow moist and keen, shatt'ring the graceful locks 

Of these fair spreading trees ; which bids us seek 

Some better shroud, some better warmth to cherish 

Our limbs benumb'd, ere this diurnal star 

Leave cold the night, how we his gather'd beams 1070 

Reflected, may with matter sere foment, 

Or, by collision of two bodies, grind 

The air attrite to fire, as late the clouds 

Justling, or push'd with winds, rude in their shock, 

Tine the slant lightning, whose thwart flame driv'n down 1075 

Kindles the gummy bark of fir or pine, 

And sends a comfortable heat from far, 

Which might supply the sun. Such fire to use, 

1066. Graceful locks : Trees are here beautifully personified, in imitation 
of Horace, Od. iv. 3: 11: : ' Spissae nemorum comse;" iv. 7: 2: "Arbori- 
busque comae." 

1069. Diurnal star : The sun, the star of day. 

1071. With matter sere foment, SfC,: With dry, withered matter, increase 
the heat produced by the rays of the sun reflected from a mirror, JEn. i. 175-76, 
•' Susceptique ignem foliis, atque aikla circum 
Nutriments dedit, rapuitque iu fomite fiammam.'' 



468 PARADISE LOST. 

And what may else be remedy or cure 

To evils which our own misdeeds have wrought, 1080 

He will instruct us praying, and of grace 

Beseeching him, so as we need not fear 

To pass commodiously this life, sustain 'd 

By him with many comforts, till we end 

In dust : our final rest and native home. 10S5 

What better can we do, than to the place 

Repairing where he judged us, prostrate fall 

Before him, reverent, and there confess 

Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears 

Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air 1090 

Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign 

Of sorrow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek ? 

Undoubtedly he will relent, and turn 

From his displeasure ; in whose look serene, 

When angry most he seem'd, and most severe, 1095 

What else but favour, grace, and mercy shone ? 

So spake our father penitent : nor Eve 
Felt less remorse. They forthwith to the place 
Repairing where he judged them, prostrate fell 
Before him, reverent, and both confess'd 1100 

Humbly their faults, and pardon begg'd, with tears 
Watering the ground, and with their sighs the air 
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign 
Of sorrow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek. 

1075. Tine the slant, fyc. : Set on fire the oblique lightning, whose trans- 
verse flame, &c. From tine comes the word tinder. 

1090-1107. What better can we do, fyc. : The turn here given to the senti- 
ments and conduct of our first parents, administers great relief and pleasure 
to the pious mind, while it furnishes a wholesome lesson to their sinful de- 
scendants. It is material to observe, that they not only resolve to humble 
themselves before their offended Maker, and to implore his ) ardon, but im- 
mediately carry out their design. This primitive scene of penitence, the 
first witnessed on earth, beautifully closes the Book. 



BOOK XI. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

The Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents, 
now repenting, and intercedes for them ; God accepts them, but declares that 
they must no longer abide in Paradise ; sends Michael with a band of Cheru- 
bim to dispossess them ; but first to reveal to Adam future things ; Michael's 
coming down; Adam shews to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns 
Michael's approach ; goes out to meet him ; the Angel denounces their de- 
parture ; Eve's lamentation ; Adam pleads, but submits ; the Angel leads 
him up to a high hill ; sets before him in vision what shall happen till the 
flood. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

Probably there is less invention in this than in some other Books, but 
the descriptive parts are not less powerful, nor less important, instructive, 
and awful in their topics. The Deluge was a trial of strength with the 
ancients, since it forms so important a feature in Ovid's poems. So far as 
there is invention in this Book, it lies in the selection of circumstances, in 
picturesque epithets, and in moral, political, and religious reflections. Its 
intellectual compass is vast and stupendous. Such a view opened upon 
Adam of the fale of his posterity, as could only be conceived and compre- 
hended by the splendid force of the poetical eye of Milton. 

It is truly said that Milton everywhere follows the great ancients, and im- 
proves upon them. He despises all the petty gildings and artifices which 
are so much boasted in modern poetry. His object is, to convey images and 
ideas, not words ; and the plainer the words, so that they do not disgrace the 
thought, the better. He would- never sacrifice the force of the language to 
the metre. The mark of this is, that when he had occasion to use the terms 
of Scripture, he would not derange them for the sake of the rhyme. — E. B. 



BOOK XL 



Thus they in lowliest plight, repentant, stood 

Praying ; for from the mercy-seat above 

Prevenient grace descending, had removed 

The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh 

Regenerate grow instead, that sighs now breathed 5 

Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer 

Inspired, and wing'd for Heav'n with speedier flight 

Than loudest oratory : yet their port 

Not of mean suitors ; nor important less 

Seem'd their petition, than when the ancient pair 10 

I. Repentant stood, fyc: Milton has shown a wonderful art in describing 
that variety of passions which arise in our first parents upon the breach of 
the commandment that had been given them. We see them gradually passing 
from the triumph of guilt through remorse, shame, despair, contrition, 
prayer, and hope, to a perfect and complete repentance. — A. 

3. Prevenient, §c. : Going before. Divine grace had preceded the act of 
prayer, and prepared them for it by producing religious sensibility and ten- 
derness. 

8. Yet their port, Sfc. : Their behaviour. The yet refers us to the first part 
of the second line. " Stood praying, yet their port," &c. : The intermediate 
lines are to be regarded as included in a parenthesis. 

II. In fables old, Sec: Milton has been often censured for his frequent 
allusions to the Heathen Mythology, and for mixing fables with sacred 
truths; but it may be observed in favour of him, that what he borrows from 
the Heathen Mythology, he commonly applies only by way of similitude ; 



472 



PARADISE LOST. 



In fables old, less ancient yet than these, 

Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha, to restore 

The race of mankind drownM, before the shrine 

Of Themis stood devout. To Heav'n their pray'rs 

Flew up ; nor miss'd the way, by envious winds 15 

Blown vagabond or frustrate. In they pass'd 

Dimensionless, through heav'nly doors ; then clad 

With incense, where the golden altar fumed, 

and a similitude from thence may illustrate his subject as well as from any- 
thing else, especially since it is one of the first things that we learn at 
school, and is made by the ancients such an essential part of poetry, that it 
can hardly be separated from it ; and no wonder that Milton was ambitious 
of showing something of his reading in this kind, as well as in all others. 
— N. 

12. Deucalion was a Thessalian prince, who, with his wife Pyrrha, escaped 
the general flood that happened in his times, 1541, b c. This is one of the 
first events recorded in profane history. All the inhabitants, except these 
two, having been destroyed, they consulted the oracle of Themis, the God- 
dess of Justice, to ascertain by what means the human race might be re- 
stored. On being ordered to throw stones behind them, those thrown by 
Deucalion became men, and those by Pyrrha women. In this fable the 
history of some partial inundation seems to be confounded with the tradition 
of the universal deluge. In that beautifiul ode dedicated to Augustus (Book 
i. 2) , in which richness of imagery and elegance of language vie with the 
loftiest tone of morality, Horace thus alludes to the flood of Deucalion. 

•' Terruit gentes, grave ne rediret 

Saecuhim Pyrrhoe nova monstra quests 
Omne cum Proteus pecus egit altos 
Visere montes," &c. 

Brande. — Fiske. 

14—20. To Heav'n their prayers, fyc. : As the author never fails to give a 
poetical turn to his sentiments, he describes the acceptance which these 
prayers met with, in a short allegory formed upon that beautiful passage 
in holy writ. Rev. viii. 3, 4. — A. 

1 6. Blown vagabond : Blown out of their proper course. Frustrate : Frus- 
trated, brought to nothing, defeated. 

It is a familiar expression with the ancient poets, as Newton informs us, 
to say of such requests as are not granted, that they are dispersed and driven 
away by the winds, Virg. JEn. xi. 794. 

17. Dimensionless, fyc. : As these prayers were of a spiritual nature, not 
as matter that has dimensions, measure, and proportion, they passed through 
Heaven's gates without any obstruction. — R. 



book xi. 473 

By their great Intercessor, came in sight 

Before the Father's throne : then the glad Son 20 

Presenting, thus to intercede began : 

See, Father, what first fruits on earth are sprung 
From thy implanted grace in Man ; these sighs 
And pray'i s, which in this golden censer, mix'd 
With incense, I thy priest before thee bring : 25 

Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed 
Sown with contrition in his heart, than those 
Which his own hand manuring, all the trees 
Of Paradise could have produced, ere fall 'a 
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear 30 

To supplication ; hear his sighs though mute. 
Unskilful with what words to pray, let me 
Interpret for him, me his Advocate 
And propitiation. All his works on me, 

Good or not good, ingraft ; my merit those 35 

Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay. 
Accept me, and in me from these receive 
The smell of peace tow'rd mankind. Let him live 
Before thee reconciled, at least his days 

Number'd, tho' sad, till death, his doom (which I 40 

To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse) 
To better life shall yield him ; where with me 
All my redeem'd may dwell in joy and bliss ; 
Made one with me as I with thee am one. 

To whom the Father, without cloud, serene : 45 

All thy request for Man, accepted Son, 
Obtain : all thy request was my decree. 
But longer in that Paradise to dwell, 
The law I gave to nature him forbids : 

Those pure immortal elements that know 50 

No gross, no inharmonious mixture foul. 
Eject him, tainted now, and purge him off 

32. The order of the sense is : Let me interpret for him unskilful with what 
words to pray, me. his, &c, 1 John ii. 1, 2. 

38. The smell of peace : The peace-offering, says Moses, is of a sweet 
savour unto the Lord, Lev. iii. 5. 



474 PARADISE LOST. 

As a distemper gross, to air as gross, 

And mortal food ; as may dispose him best 

For dissolution wrought by sin, that first 55 

Distemper'd all things, and of incorrupt 

Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts 

Created him endow'd ; with happiness 

And immortality : that fondly lost, 

This other served but to eternize woe ; 60 

Till I provided death ; so death becomes 

His final remedy, and, after life, 

Tried in sharp tribulation, and refined 

By faith and faithful works, to second life, 

Waked in the renovation of the just, 65 

Resigns him up with Heav'n and Earth renew'd. 

But let us call to synod all the Blest 

Through Heav'n's wide bounds ; from them I will not hide 

My judgments, how with mankind I proceed, 

As how with peccant Angels late they saw, 70 

And in their state, tho' firm, stood more confirm'd. 

He ended ; and the Son gave signal high 
To the bright minister that watch'd. He blew 
His trumpet (heard in Oreb since, perhaps, 
When God descended, and perhaps once more 75 

To sound at general doom) : th' angelic blast 
Fill'd all the regions. From their blissful bow'rs 
Of amaranthine shade, fountain or spring, 
By the waters of life, where'er they sat 

In fellowships of joy, the sons of light 80 

Hasted, resorting to the summons high, 
And took their seats ; till from his throne supreme 
Th' Almighty thus pronounced his Sov'reign will : 

Sons ! like one of us Man is become, 

53. Sin having rendered man gross, he is now to be thrust out into the aiiy 
as gross, or impure, ill adapted to perpetuate life ; he is also condemned to 
mortal food, or that which promotes mortality. See lines 2S4, 285. 

74. Oreb: Horeb. Exod. xx. 18 ; 1 Cor. xv. 52; 1 Thess. iv. 16. 

78. Amaranthine: Unfading, undecaying, III. 353. 



book xi. 475 

To know both good and evil, since his taste 85 

Of that defended fruit ; but let him boast 

His knowledge of good lost, and evil got : 

Happier, had it sufficed him to have known 

Good by itself, and evil not all. 

He sorrows now, repents, and prays contrite, 80 

My motions in him. Longer than they move, 

His heart I know how variable and vain 

Self-left. Lest therefore his now bolder hand 

Reach also of the tree of life, and eat, 

And live for ever (dream at least to live 95 

For ever) to remove him I decree, 

And send him from the garden forth to till 

The ground whence he was taken, fitter soil. 

Michael, this my behest have thou in charge : 
Take to thee from among the Cherubim 100 

Thy choice of flaming warriors, lest the Fiend, 
Or iu behalf of Man, or to invade 
Vacant possession, some new trouble raise. 
Haste thee, and from the Paradise of God, 
Without remorse, drive out the sinful pair, 105 

(From hallow'd ground th' unholy), and denounce 
To them and to their progeny, from thence 
Perpetual banishment. Yet, lest they faint 
At the sad sentence rigorously urged, 

For I behold them soften'd, and with tears 110 

Bewailing their excess, all terror hide. 



86. Defended : Forbidden, from defendre, a French word. 

91. Longer than, §c. : After my motions within him cease. 

99. Behest : Command. As Michael was the principal angel employe 
in driving the rebel angels out of Heaven, so he was the most proper to expel 
our first parents too out of Paradise. — N. 

105. Remorse : Pity. 

111. Their excess, §c. : God is here represented as pitying our first parents, 
and even while he is ordering Michael to drive them out of Paradise, orders 
him at the same time to hide all terror ; and, for the same reason, he chooses 
to speak of their offence in the slightest manner, calling it only an excess — a 



476 PARADISE LOST. 

If patiently thy bidding they obey, 

Dismiss them not disconsolate. Reveal 

To Adam what shall come in future days, 

As I shall thee enlighten. Intermix 115 

My cov'nant in the Woman's seed renew'd ; 

So send them forth, tho' sorrowing, yet in peace ; 

And on the east side of the garden place 

Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs, 

Cherubic watch, and of a sword the flame 120 

Wide-waving, all approach far off to fright, 

And guard all passage to the tree of life, 

Lest Paradise a receptacle prove 

To spirits foul, and all my trees their prey, 

With whose stoPn fruit Man once more to delude. 125 

He ceased ; and the Archangelic Pow'r prepared 
For swift descent ; with him the cohort bright 
Of watchful Cherubim. Four faces each 
Had, like a double Janus : all their shape 

Spangled with eyes, more numerous than those 130 

Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drowse, 
Charm'd with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed 
Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Mean while 
To re-salute the world with sacred light, 

going beyond the bounds of their duty, by the same metaphor as sin is often 
called transgression. — N. 

128-33. Four faces each, §c. : Ezekiel says that " every one had four faces," 
x. 14. The poet adds, '' Four faces each had like a double Janus." Janus was a 
king (afterwards a deity) of Italy, and is represented with two faces, to de- 
note his great wisdom, looking upon things past and to come ; and the men- 
tion of a well-known image with two faces, may help to give us the better 
idea of others with four. Ezekiel says, x. 12, '■'■And their whole body, and 
their backs, and their hands, and their wings, were full of eyes round about. The 
poet expresses it by a delightful metaphor, " Ml their shape spangled with 
eyes ;" and then adds by way of comparison, " More numerous than those of 
Argus — a shepherd who had a hundred eyes ; " And more wakeful than to 
drowse," as he did, " charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed" ,132 — 
is, the pastoral pipe made of reeds, as was that of Hermes, or Mercury, who 
was employed by Jupiter to lull Argus asleep, and kill him, or his opiate rod 
(133), the caduceus of Mercury, with which he could give sleep to whom- 



BOOK XI. 477 

Leucothea waked, and with fresh dews imbalm'd 135 

The Earth ; when Adam and first matron Eve. 
Had ended now their orisons, and found 
Strength added from above, new hope to spring 
Out of despair ; joy, but with fear yet link'd : 
Which thus to Eve his welcome words renew'd' 140 

Eve, easily may faith admit, that all 

soever he pleased. With this pipe and this rod, he lulled Argus asleep, and 
cut off his head. It is an allusion to a celebrated story in Ovid, Met. i. 
625, &c. : 

" Centum luminibus cinctum caput Argus habitat.'' &c. 

N. 

Ovid is conceived to have been a favourite with Milton, among other 
reasons from so many of his subjects having a relation to Scripture, such as 
the creation, the deluge, the foreshowing of the destruction of the world by 
fire, &c. 

135. Leucothea waked, Sfc. : The white goddess, as the name in Greek im- 
ports ; the same with Matuta in Latin, as Cicero affirms ; and this is the 
early morning that ushers in the Aurora rosy with the sunbeams, according 
to Lucretius, v. 655 : 

" Tempore item certo roseam Matuta per oras 
Athens Aurora defert, et lumina pandit." 

This is the last morning in the poem — the morning of the fatal day 
whereon our first parents were expelled out of Paradise. According to the 
best calculation we can make, this is the eleventh day of the poem ; we mean 
of that part of it which is transacted within the sphere of day. 

But Addison reckons only ten days to the action of the poem, supposing 
that our first parents were expelled out of Paradise the very next day after 
the fall. Bishop Newton shows this to be an error. 

But indeed the poet is not very exact in the computation of time, and per- 
haps he affected some obscurity in this particular, and did not choose to de- 
fine, as the Scripture itself has not defined, how soon after the fall it was that 
our first parents were driven out of Paradise. — N. 

140. Which refers to Adam. An ingenious writer, quoted by Newton, 
descants upon the beauty of several of the lines that follow; of 141. in 
which the last five words are alliterated with the same vowel, a ; of 143, in 
the solemn pause after the first syllable, but, and the caesura upon the mono- 
syllable us that follows; of 150, in the word kneel 1 d, followed, as it is by a 
pause, the effect of which is such, that we actually see Adam upon his knees 
before the offended Deity, while, by the concluding words of the paragraph, 
bending his ear, infinite goodness is visibly represented to our eyes, as inclin- 
ing to hearken to the prayers of this penitent creature. 



478 PARADISE LOST. 

The good which we enjoy, from Heav'n descends ; 

But that from us aught should ascend to Heav'n 

So prevalent as to concern the mind . 

Of God high-blest, or to incline his will, 145 

Hard to belief may seem ; yet this will prayer, 

Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne 

Ev'n to the seat of God ! For since I sought 

By prayer th' offended Deity to appease, 

Kneel'd, and before him humbled all my heart, 150 

Methought I saw him placable and mild, 

Bending his ear ! Persuasion in me grew 

That I was heard with favour ! Peace return'd 

Home to my breast, and to my memory 

His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our foe ; 155 

Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now 

Assures me that the bitterness of death 

Is past, and we shall live ! Whence hail to thee, 

Eve, lightly call'd mother of all mankind, 

Mother of all things living ; since by thee 160 

Man is to live, and all things live for Man ! 

To whom thus Eve, with sad demeanour meek ; 
111 worthy I such title should belong 
To me transgressor, who, for thee ordain'd 
A help, became thy snare ! To me reproach 165 

Rather belongs, distrust, and all dispraise ! 
But infinite in pardon was my Judge, 
That I, who first brought death on all, am graced 
The source of life ; next favourable thou, 

Who highly thus to entitle me vouchsaf'st, 170 

Far other name deserving. But the field 
To labour calls us, now with sweat imposed, 
Though after sleepless night ; for, see, the morn, 

146-7. Will prayer : Will prayer do. It will be up-borne. 

157. The bitterness of death is passed: These are the words of A gag, 
1 Sam. xv. 32. 

159. Eve is from a Hebrew word signifying life or to live, and was applied 
from the first in anticipation of the event of her becoming the " mother of 
all living." 



book xr. 479 

All unconcern'd with our unrest, begins 

Her rosy progress smiling ; let us forth ; 175 

I never from thy side henceforth to stray, 

Where'er our day's work lies, though now enjoin'd 

Laborious, till day droop. While here we dwell, 

What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks ? 

Here let us live, though in fall'n state, content. ISO 

So spake, so wish'd much-humbled Eve, but Fate 
Subscribed not. Nature first gave signs, impress'd 
On bird, beast, air ; air suddenly eclipsed 
After short blush of morn : nigh in her sight 
The bird of Jove, stoop'd from his aery tour, 185 

Two birds of gayest plume before him drove. 
Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods, 
First hunter then, pursued a gentle brace, 
Goodliest of all the forest, hart and hind : 

Direct to th' eastern gate was bent their flight. 190 

Adam observed, and with his eye the chase 
Pursuing, not unmoved, to Eve thus spake : 

O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh, 

175. Her rosy progress smiling : Compare 135. where Lcucothca is spoken 
of as the most early morning that ushers in the Aurora. She was pale and 
white before, but now she is rosy red, with the nearer approach of the sun- 
beams. The expression of the morn's beginning her progress seems to be 
copied from Shakspeare, Henry IV. Act. 3 : 

" the heavenly harness'J team 

Begins his golden progress in the east." N. 

182. Subscribed not : Did not agree to it ; from subscriber, to under- write. 

185. The bird of Jove, stoop'd, $c. : The eagle ; sometimes called the king 
of birds, from his great strength, the elevation to which he flies, and the 
rapidity of his movements. Stoop'd is a participle, and means, coming down 
on his prey. An event of this kind is sometimes represented by the poets as 
ominous, as by Virgil, Mn. i. 393. 

These omens, says Newton, have a singular beauty here, as they show the 
change that is produced among animals, as well as the change that is going 
to be made in the condition of Adam and Eve ; and nothing could be in- 
vented more apposite and proper for this purpose. An eagle, pursuing two 
beautiful birds, and a lion chasing a fine hart and hind, and both to the eastern 
gate of Paradise, as Adam and Eve were to be driven out by the angel at 
the eastern gate of Paradise. 

193-211. Some further change, $c. : The conference of Adam and Eve is 



4S0 PARADISE LOST. 

Which Heav'n hy these mute signs in nature shews, 

Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn 195 

Us haply, too secure of our discharge 

From penalty, because from death released 

Some days. How long, and what till then our life 

Who knows ? or more than this, that we are dust, 

And thither must return, and be no more ? 200 

Why else this double object in our sight, 

Of flight pursued in th' air, and o'er the ground 

One way the self-same hour ? Why in the east 

Darkness ere day's mid-course, and morning light 

More orient in yon western cloud, that draws 205 

O'er the blue firmament a radiant white, 

And slow descends, with something heav'nly fraught ? 

He err'd not ; for by this the heav'nly bands 
Down from a sky of jasper lighted now 

In Paradise, and on a hill made halt ; 210 

A glorious apparition, had not doubt 
And carnal fear that day dimm'd Adam's eye. 
Not that more glorious, when the Angels met 
Jacob in Mahanaim, where he saw 
The field pavilion'd with his guardians bright ; 215 

full of moving sentiments. Upon their going abroad, after the melancholy 
night which they had passed together, they discover the lion and the eagle, 
each of them pursuing their prey towards the eastern gate of Paradise. 
There is a double beauty in this incident, not only as it presents great and 
just omens, which are always agreeable in poetry, but as it expresses that 
enmity which was now produced in the animal creation. The poet, to show 
the like changes in nature, as well as to grace his story with a noble prodigy, 
represents the sun in an eclipse. This particular incident has likewise a 
fine effect upon the imagination of the reader in regard to what follows ; 
for at the same time that the sun is under an eclipse, a bright cloud descends 
in the western quarter of the heavens, filled with a host of angels, and more 
luminous than the sun itself. The whole theatre of nature is darkened 
that this glorious appearance may shine with all its lustre and magnificence. 
—A. 

209. Sky of jasper : Resembling the colours of the precious stone of that 
name. 

214. Mahanaim: Gen. xxxii. 1, 2. 



BOOK XI. 4S1 

Nor that which on the flaming mount appear'd 

In Dothan, cover'd with a camp of fire, 

Against the Syrian king, who, to surprise 

One man, assassin-like, had levied war, 

War nnproclaim'd. The princely Hierarch 220 

In their bright stand there left his Pow'rs to seize 

Possession of the garden ; he alone, 

To find where Adam shelter'd, took his way, 

Not unperceived of Adam, whom to Eve, 

While the great visitant approach'd, thus spake : 225 

Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps 
Of us will soon determine, or impose 
New laws to be observed ; for I descry 
From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill, 
One of the heav'nly host, and by his gait 230 

None of the meanest ; some great Potentate 
Or of the Thrones above ; such majesty 
Invests his coming ; yet not terrible, 
That I should fear, nor sociably mild, 

As Raphael, that I should much confide ; 235 

But solemn and sublime ; whom not to offend, 
With reverence I must meet, and thou retire. 

He ended: and th' Arch-Angel soon drew nigh, 
Not in his shape celestial, but as man 

Clad to meet man. Over bis lucid arms 240 

A military vest of purple flow'd, 

217. Dothan: 2 Kings vi. 13, 14. 

219. One man: Elisha, who had provoked the anger of the king of Syria 
by disclosing his designs to the king of Israel. 

238-50. TK archangel socm, fyc. : It may be observed how properly th 
poet, who always suits his parts to the actors whom he introduces, has em- 
ployed Michael in the expulsion of our first parents from Paradise. The 
archangel, on this occasion neither appears in his proper shape, nor in the 
familiar manner with which Raphael, the sociable spirit, entertained the 
father of mankind before the fall. His person, his port, and behaviour, are 
suitable to a spirit of the highest rank, and exquisitely described in this pas- 
sage. — A. 

241. Purple: The colour worn by distinguished persons among the 
21 E e 



482 



PARADISE LOST. 



Livelier than Melibcean, or the grain 

Of Sarra, worn by kings and heroes old 

In time of truce ; Iris had dipt the woof; 

His starry helm unbuckled shew'd him prime 245 

In manhood where youth ended. By his side, 

As in a glist'ring zodiac, hung the sword, 

Satan's dire dread ; and in his hand the spear. 

Adam bow'd low : He, kingly, from his state 

Inclined not, but his coming thus declared : 250 

Adam, Heav'n's highest behest no preface needs : 
Sufficient that thy pray'rs are heard, and Death, 
Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress, 
Defeated of his seizure, many days 

Giv'n thee of grace, wherein thou may'st repent, 255 

And one bad act, with many deeds well done, 
May'st cover : well may then thy Lord, appeased, 

ancients. Near Mclibaa, in Thessaly, was found a species of fish, from 
which was extracted a celebrated scarlet dye. 

242. Grain of Sarra: Dye of Tyre, Sarra being the earlier Latin name 
of Tyre. This dye was derived from a shell-fish, and was highly valued. 

This beautiful and highly-prized colour of purple, which was so ex- 
tensively appropriated as the hue of royal robes, was known as a dye, in 
the days of Moses. A later period, however, has been fixed for the dis- 
covery of this dye, by fabulous antiquity. The honour has been given to 
Tyrian Hercules. The tradition is, that when this hero was walking one 
day on the sea shore, with a nymph of whom he was enamoured, his dog 
found a shell, which, being pressed with hunger, he broke, and the liquid 
which ran from the expiring fish within, stained his mouth with so beautiful 
a colour, that the fair damsel, charmed with it, declared to her lover that 
she would see him no more, till he brought her a dress dyed the same 
colour. Duncan on the Seasons, vol. iv. 188. 

244. Iris, fyc. : Iris was goddess of the rainbow. The clause means that 
the threads crossing the warp had the colour of the rainbow, the most beau- 
tiful of colours. 

248. And in his hand (was held) the spear : The verb hung applies well 
only to sword. 

254. Defeated in his intended act of seizure. 

257. Mayst cover : Good poetry, but corrupt theology. The blood of the 
Messiah, and not our good deeds, forms the only Scriptural covering for our 
bad deeds. It was with reference to the future shedding of that blood, that 



BOOK XI. 483 

Redeem thee quite from Death's rapacious claim ; 

But longer in this Paradise to dwell 

Permits not. To remove thee I am come, 260 

And send thee from the garden forth, to till 

The ground whence thou wast taken ; fitter soil. 

He added not ; for Adam at the news 
Heart-struck, with chilling gripe of sorrow stood, 
That all his senses bound. Eve, who unseen, 265 

Yet all had heard, with audible lament, 
Discover'd soon the place of her retire. 

unexpected stroke, worse than of Death ! 
Must I thus leave thee, Paradise ! thus leave 

our first parents were admitted to favour, and redeemed from death in its 
highest penal sense. Milton, in the Third Book (203-12, 227-41, 285-90) 
has given the correct view of the divine method of covering our bad deeds. 

258. Retire: Retirement. 

260. When Michael announces to Adam and Eve the necessity of their 
immediate departure from the garden of Eden, the poet's art in preserving 
the decorum of the two characters is very remarkable. Eve, in all the vio- 
lence of ungovernable sorrow, breaks forth into a pathetic apostrophe to 
Paradise. Adam expresses without a figure his regret for being banished 

" from this happy place, our sweet 

Recess,"' &c. 304. 

The use of the apostrophe in the one case, and its omission in the other, 
not only gives a beautiful variety to the style, but also marks that superior 
elevation and composure of mind by which the poet had all along distin- 
guished the character of Adam. — Beattie. 

269-79. Must I thus leave thee, Paradise : The highest degree of the figure 
of personification, is that wherein inanimate objects are introduced, not only 
as feeling and acting, but as speaking to us, or hearing and listening when 
we address ourselves to them. 

All strong passions prompt us to use this figure. Not only love, anger, 
and indignation, but even those which are seemingly more dispiriting, such 
as grief, remorse, and melancholy. For all passions struggle for vent, and, 
if they can find no other object, will, rather than be silent, pour themselves 
forth to woods, and rocks, and the most insensible things ; especially if these 
be in any way connected with the causes and objects that have thrown the 
mind into this agitation. Of this figure Milton has here furnished an ex- 
tremely fine example, in the moving, tender, and womanly address which 
Eve makes to Paradise, just before she is compelled to leave it. — Blaiu. 



484 PARADISE LOST. 

Thee, native soil ! these happy walks and shades, 270 

Fit haunt of Gods ! where I had hope to spend, 

Quiet though sad, the respite of that day 

That must be mortal to us both ! flow'rs, 

That never will in other climate grow, 

My early visitation, and my last 275 

At e'en, which I bred up with tender hand 

From the first opening bud, and gave ye names, 

Who now shall rear ye to the sun, or rank 

Your tribes, and water from th' ambrosial fount ? 

Thee lastly, nuptial bower ! by me adorn 'd 280 

With what to sight or smell was sweet, from thee 

How shall I part, and whither wander down 

Into a lower world, to this obscure 

And wild ? How shall we breathe in other air, 

Less pure, accustom 'd to immortal fruits? 285 

Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild : 
Lament not, Eve, but patiently resign 
What justly thou hast lost ; nor set thy heart 

..70-71. Fit haunt of gods: To men imbued with the spirit of the fall, to 
wi.om the excitements of conflict and conquest are necessary, and who will 
not be happy unless they can " ride in the whirlwind and direct the storm," 
the Paradise of Eden may seem insipid, and the loss of it no great privation, 
merely as a condition of life. But to those to whom the strifes of men are 
hateful ; who faint beneath the curse of life ; who are cut off from sun and 
air by the necessities of daily toil ; or who groan under the burden of their 
sins, the repose, the rest, the happiness of Eden, glorified by the presence of 
God, appears beyond all measure inviting, and well may they cry, " Oh, 
Adam, what hast thou done, to lose thy children so fair a heritage." — K. 

272. Day: Period. 

279. Ambrosial: Delightful. It is derived from a Greek word signifying 
immortal. Ambrosia denoted the food on which the pagan gods were sup- 
posed to subsist, and to which, along with nectar, their immortality was at- 
tributed. 

283. Accustomed to immortal fruits: Accustomed to that which produces 
immortal fruits. It is implied that the less pure air of the obscure and wild 
regions of the lower world, or less elevated parts of the earth around the hill 
of Paradise, must produce less wholesome fruits and bring about an unhappy 
chansje in rheir condition. 



book xi. 485 

Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine ; 

Thy going is not lonely ; with thee goes 290 

Thy husband ; him to follow thou art bound. 

Where he abides, think there thy native soil. 

Adam by this from the cold sudden damp 
Recov'ring, and his scatter'd spirits return'd, 
To Michael thus his humble words address'd : 295 

Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or named 
Of them the high'st, for such of shape may seem 
Prince above princes ! gently hast thou told 
Thy message, which might else in telling wound, 
And in performing end us. What besides 300 

Of sorrow, and dejection, and despair, 
Our frailty can sustain, thy tidings bring ; 
Departure from this happy place, our sweet 
Recess, and only consolation left 

Familiar to our eyes ; all places else 305 

Inhospitable appear and desolate ; 
Nor knowing us nor known : and if by prayer 
Incessant I could hope to change the will 
Of Him who all things can, I would not cease 
To weary him with my assiduous cries. 310 

But prayer against his absolute decree 
No more avails than breath against the wind, 
Blown stifling back on him that breathes it forth : 
Therefore to his great bidding I submit. 

This most afflicts me, that departing hence, 215 

As from his face I shall be hid, deprived 

315-33. This most afflicts, &fc. : Adam's speech abounds with thoughts 
which are equally moving, but of a more masculine and elevated turn than 
those of Eve. Nothing can be conceived more sublime and poetical than 
this passage. — A. 

The circumstance here named indicates the piety of Adam. The presence 
of God was to him the chief attraction of Paradise. It is the chief attrac- 
tion of Heaven, and on earth should be diligently sought. "Adam grieves," 
as Pope remarks, " that he must leave a place where he had conversed with 
God and his angels ; but Eve laments that she shall never more behold the 
fine flowers of Eden. Here Adam mourns like a man, and Eve like a 
woman." 



486 PARADISE LOST. 

His blessed count'nance. Here I could frequent 

With worship place by place where he vouchsafed 

Presence divine, and to my sons relate ; 

On this mount he appear'd ; under this tree 320 

Stood visible ; among these pines his voice 

I heard ; here with him at this fountain talk'd. 

So many grateful altars I would rear 

Of grassy turf, and pile up every stone 

Of lustre from the brook, in memory 325 

Or monument to ages, and thereon 

Offer sweet-smelling gums, and fruits and flow'rs. 

In yonder nether world, where shall I seek 

His bright appearances, or footstep trace ? 

For though I fled him angry, yet recall'd 330 

To life prolong'd and promised race, I now 

Gladly behold, though but his utmost skirts 

Of glory, and far off his steps adore. 

To whom thus Michael, with regard benign : 
Adam, thou know'st. Heav'n his, and all the Earth ; 335 

Not this rock only. His omnipresence fills 
Land, sea, and air, and every kind that lives, 
Fomented by his virtual pow'r and warm'd. 
All th' earth he gave thee to possess and rule : 
No despicable gift : surmise not then 340 

His presence to these narrow bounds confined 
Of Paradise or Eden. This had been 
Perhaps thy capital seat, from whence had spread 

325. In memory of the places where God appeared to himself ; in monu- 
ment to future ages — that is, to admonish or instruct posterity of the same 
thing. The patriarchs were accustomed to raise altars, to remind them of 
the places where God had condescended to reveal himself to them by some 
acts of distinguishing favour, Gen. xi. 7 ; xxv. 25. 

332. Skirts : An allusion to Exod. xxxiii. 22, 23. 

335. His : Is his. 

337-38. Fomented by his virtual power : Advanced in growth by power 
which is efficacious, though not sensible, not exerted Through material organs, 
and Jills every kind thai lives. Acts xvii. 28 : " In him we live and move and 
have our being." 



BOOK XI. 4S7 

All generations, and had hither come 

From all the ends of th' earth, to celebrate 245 

And rev'rence thee, their great progenitor. 

But this pre-eminence thou'st lost; brought down 

To dwell on even ground now with thy sons. 

Yet doubt not, but in valley and in plain 

God is as here, and will be found alike 350 

Present, and of his presence many a sign 

Still following thee, still compassing thee round 

With goodness and paternal love, his face 

Express, and of his steps the track divine : 

Which, that thou ruay'st believe, and be confirm 'd 355 

Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent 

To shew thee what shall come in future days 

To thee and to thy offspring. Good with bad 

Expect to hear, supernal grace contending 

With sinfulness of men ; thereby to learn 360 

True patience, and to temper joy with fear 

And pious sorrow, equally inured 

By moderation either state to bear, 

Prosperous or adverse : so shalt thou lead 

Safest thy life, and, best prepared, endure 365 

Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend 

This hill. Let Eve (for I have drench'd her eyes) 

Here sleep below, while thou to foresight wak'st ; 

As once thou sleptst, while she to life was form'd. 

To whom thus Adam gratefully reply'd : 370 

Asomd ; I follow thee, safe Guide, the path 
Thou lead'st me, and to the hand of Heav'n submit, 
However chast ning ; to the evil turn 
My obvious breast, arming to overcome 

353-5.4. Face express: Countenance revealed, or his favour manifested. 
359. Supernal : Celestial. 

367. Drenched her eyes : Made an application to her eyes. 
373-74. Turn my obvious (unprotected, open) breast ; arming (preparing) 
to overcome by suffering ; as Virgil says : 

" Quicquid erit, supeianda omnia fortuna ferendo est." 



488 PARADISE LOST. 

By suff'ring, and earn rest from labour won, 375 

If so I may attain. So both ascend 

In the visions of God. It was a hill 

Of Paradise the highest, from whose top 

The hemisphere of earth in clearest ken 

Stretch'd out to th' amplest reach of prospect lay. 380 

Not higher that hill nor wider, looking round, 

Whereon for dhT'rent cause the Tempter set 

Our second Adam in the wilderness, 

To shew him all earth's kingdoms and their glory. 

His eye might there command wherever stood 385 

City of old or modern fame, the seat 

376. So both ascend, fyc. : The angel leads Adam to the highest mount in 
Paradise, and lays before him the hemisphere, as a proper stage for those 
visions which were represented to be upon it. Adam's vision, unlike that 
of Virgil's hero in the JEneid, is not confined to any particular tribe of man- 
kind, but extends to the whole species. — A. 

386-410. It is not to be supposed that Milton in this passage seeks to dis- 
play learning; for the kind of learning here employed is not of a very high 
order; but his design was, by a detail of many particular countries and 
prominent places, to impress more strongly on the mind of the reader the 
statement made in the previous lines, or to give a more just idea of the 
great extent of prospect afforded to the eye of Adam. 

387. From the destined walls, Sfc. : He first takes a view of Asia, and there 
of the northern parts, the destined walls, not yet in being, but designed to be 
(which is to be understood of all the rest) : of Cambalu. seat of Cathaian Can, 
the principal city of Cathay, a province of Tartary, the seat of the ancient 
Chams : and Samarcand, by Oxus, the chief city of Zagathaian Tartary 
near the river Oxus. Tcmir 's throne : The birth-place and royal residence 
of Tamerlane. 

From the northern he passes to the eastern and southern parts of Asia 
(390) to Paquin, or Pekin, of Sintean kings, the royal city of China, the 
country of the ancient Sine mentioned by Ptolemy, and thence to Jlgra and 
Lahore, two great cities in the empire of the great Mogul, down to the golden 
Chersonese (392) , that is, Malacca, the most southern promontory of the 
East Indies, so called on account of its riches, to distinguish it from the 
other Chersoneses, or peninsulas, or where the Persian in Ecbatan sat. Ec- 
batan, formerly the capital city of Persia, or since in Hispahan. the capital 
city at present, or where the Russian Czar, the Czar of Muscovy, in Mosco, 
the metropolis of all Russia (formerly) ; or the sultan in Bizanre (395) , the 
Grand Seignior, in Constantinople, formerly Byzantium. Turchestan born : As 
the Turks came from Turchestan, a province of Tartary. He reckons these 



book xi. 489 

Of mightiest empire, from the destined walls 

Of Cambalu, seat of -Cathaian Can, 

And Samarcand by Oxus, Temir's throne, 

To Paquin of Sinasan kings, and thence 390 

To Agra and Lahore of great Mogul, 

Down to the golden Chersonese, or where 

The Persian in Ecbatan sat, or since 

In Hispahan, or where the Russian Czar 

In Moscow, or the Sultan in Bizance, 395 

Turchestan-born ; nor could his eye not ken 

Th' empire of Negus to his utmost port 

Ercoco, and the less maritime kings, 

Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind, 

And Sofala, thought Ophir, to the realm 400 

Of Congo, and Angola farthest south : 

Or thence from Niger flood to Atlas mount, 

The kingdoms of Almansor, Fez, and Sus, 

Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremisen : 

On Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway 405 

to Asia, as they are adjoining, and a great part of their territories lies it 
Asia. — X. 

396. Nor could his eye, §c. : He passes now into Africa. Nor could his eye 
not ken (discover) th? empire of Negus : The Upper Ethiopia, or the land of 
the Abyssinians, subject to one sovereign, styled in their own language, 
Negus, or king, and by the Europeans, Prester John, to his utmost port Ercoco, 
or Erquico, on the Red Sea, the northeast boundary of the Abyssian empire, 
and the less maritime kings, the lesser kingdoms on the sea coast, Mombasa, 
and Quiloa, and Melind, all near the line (equinoctial) in Zanguebar, a great 
region of the lower Ethiopia on the Eastern or Indian Sea, and subject to 
the Portuguese. And Sofala, thought Ophir (400), another kingdom and city 
on the same sea, mistaken by some for Ophir, whence Solomon brought 
gold, to the realm of Congo (401) , a kingdom in the lower Ethiopia on the 
western shore, as the others were on the eastern, and Angola farthest south, 
another kingdom south of Congo ; or thence from Niger flood (402) , the river 
Niger, that divides Negroland into two parts, to Atlas Mount in the most 
western parts of Africa ; the kingdoms of Almansor, the countries over which 
Almansor was king, namely, Fez and Sus, Morocco and Algiers, and Tremisen, 
all kingdoms in Barbary. — N. 

405. On Europe thence, fyc. : After Africa he comes to Eur«pe. And 
where Rome was to sway the world : The less is said of Europe as it is so well 
21* 



490 PARADISE LOST. 

The world. In spirit perhaps he also saw 

Rich Mexico, the seat of Montezume, 

And Cusco in Peru, the richer seat 

Of Atabalipa, and yet unspoil'd 

Gruiana, whose great city Geryon's sons 410 

Call El Dorado ; but to nobler sights 

Michael from Adam's eyes the film removed, 

Which that false fruit, that promised clearer sight, 

Had bred ; then purged with euphrasy and rue 

The visual nerve, for he had much to see ; 415 

And from the well of life three drops instill'd. 

So deep the pow'r of these ingredients pierced, 

E'en to the inmost seat of mental sight, 

That Adam, now enforced to close his eyes, 

Sunk down, and all his spirits became entranced ; 420 

But him the gentle Angel by the hand 

Soon raised, and his attention thus recall'd : 

known. In spirit perhaps he also saw : He could not see it otherwise, as 
America was on the opposite side of the globe ; rich Mexico in North Ame- 
rica, the scat of Montezume, who was subdued by the Spanish general, Cortez ; 
and Cusco in Peru in South America, the richer seat of Jltabalipa — the last 
emperor subdued by the Spanish general, Pizarro ; and yet unspoiled Guiana 
(410), another country of South America, not then invaded and spoiled, whose 
great city, namely, Manhoa, Geryon's sons, the Spaniards from Geryon, an 
ancient king of Spain, call El Dorado, or the golden city, on account of its 
riches and extent. — N. 

411. But to nobler sights, fyc. : These which follow are nobler sights, being 
not only of cities and kingdoms, but of the principal actions of men to the 
final consummation of things ; and to prepare Adam for these sights, the 
angel removed the film from his eyes, as Pallas removed the mists from the 
eyes of Diomede, Iliad v. 127, and as Venus did from those of iEneas, JEn. 
ii. 604, and as the same Michael did from those of Godfrey, Tasso, cant, 
xviii., stanz. 93. What follows of Adam's sinking down overpowered, and 
then being raised again by the hand gently by the angel, he has copied from 
Daniel, x. 8, &c, or from Rev. i. 17. — JN T . 

414. Purged with euphrasy and rue: Cleared the organs of his sight with 
rue, and euphrasy or eye-bright, so named from its clearing virtue. — H. 
Rue was used in exorcisms, and is therefore called herb of grace by Shaks- 
peare. — N. 

419. Enforced: Forced. 



BOOK XI. 491 

Adam, now ope thine eyes, and first behold 
Th' effects which thy original crime hath wrought 
In some to spring from thee, who never touch'd 425 

Th' excepted tree, nor with the snake conspir'd, 
Nor sinn'd thy sin ; yet from that sin derive 
Corruption, to bring forth more violent deeds. 

His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field, 
Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves 430 

New reap'd, the other part sheep-walks and folds ; 
In th' miilst an altar as the land-mark stood, 
Rustic, of grassy sord. Thither anon 
A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought 

First fruits ; the green ear and the yellow sheaf, 435 

UnculPd, as came to hand. A shepherd next, 
More meek, came with the firstlings of his flock 
Choicest and best ; then sacrificing, laid 
The inwards and their fat, with incense strow'd, 
On the cleft wood, and all due rites perform 'd. 440 

422, &c. A prophetic history, or a revelation by vision, is here granted to 
Adam respecting his future descendants. 

430. Tilth: Tilled. 

434. A sweaty reaper (Cain) , Sft: : Compare the account here given with 
Gen. iv 2, &c. The poet adds that Cain took the fruits uncullcd, as came to 
hand, whereas Abel selected the choicest and best of his flock ; and in this 
some interpreters have conceived the guilt of Cain to consist. The poet 
too makes them offer both upon the same altar, for the word brought, in 
Scripture ^which Milton likewise retains , is understood of their bringing 
their offerings to some common place of worship ; and this altar he makes 
of turf, of grassy sord (sward) , as the first altars are represented to be, and 
describes the sacrifice somewhat in the manner of Homer. The Scripture 
says only, that '' the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering / but unto 
Cain and to his offering he had not respect." The poet makes this respect to 
Abel's offering to be a fire from Heaven consuming it. There are several 
instances of such acceptance in Scripture. Cain's was not so accepted ; for. 
says the poet, his was not sincere. — N. 

The more important reason for this non-acceptance was, that in Abel's case 
there was the exercise of faith in God (probably in the predicted Messiah, 
indicated by the kind of offering he presented — an animal sacrifice) , while, 
in that of Cain there was no such faith, nor outward manifestation of it. 
Heb. xi. 4 : " By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than 
Cain," &c. The poet himself barely alludes to this, indeed (458) . 



492 PARADISE LOST. 

His off'ring soon propitious fire from Heav'n 

Consumed ; with nimble glance and grateful steam ; 

The other's not, for his was not sincere ; 

Whereat he inly raged, and as they talk'd, 

Smote him into the midriff with a stone 445 

That beat out life. He fell, and, deadly pale, 

Groan'd out his soul with gushing blood effused. 

Much at that sight was Adam in his heart 

Dismay'd ; and thus in haste to th' Angel cry'd : 

O Teacher, some great mischief hath befall'n 450 

To that meek man, who well had sacrificed ! 
Is piety thus and pure devotion paid ? 

T' whom Michael thus (he also moved) reply'd : 
These two are brethren, Adam, and to come 
Out of thy loins. Th' unjust the just hath slain, 455 

For envy that his brother's off'ring found 
From Heav'n acceptance : but the bloody fact 
Will be avenged, and th' other's faith approved. 
Lose no reward, though here thou see him die 
Rolling in dust and gore. To which our sire : 460 

Alas ! both for the deed and for the cause ! 
But have I now seen Death ? Is this the way 
I must return to native dust ? O sight 
Of terror, foul and ugly to behold ! 
Horrid to think ! how horrible to feel ! 465 

To whom thus Michael : Death thou hast seen 
Tn his first shape on Man ; but many shapes 

442. Glance : Shooting, darting. 

462. But have I now seen death: That curiosity and natural horror which 
arises in Adam at the sight of the first dying man, is touched with great 
beauty. — A. 

Neither he nor Eve had any such sad conception of death when, Book X. 
1001, she said, " Let us seek death," &c. The form in which it now ap- 
peared was indeed peculiarly shocking. 

467-69. But many shapes of death, fyc. : Newton here quotes an illustrative 
passage from Seneca-Phrenissae, Art. i. 151-53: 

" Ubique mors est 
Mille ad lianc a litus patent." 



book xi. 493 

Of Death, and many are the ways that lead 

To his grim cave, all dismal : yet to sense 

More terrible at th' entrance than within. 470 

Some, as thou saw'st, by violent stroke shall die, 

By fire, flood, famine, by intemp'rance more 

In meats and drinks, which on the earth shall bring 

Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew • 

Before thee shall appear ; that thou may'st know 475 

What misery th' inabstinence of Eve 

Shall bring on men. Immediately a place 

Before his eyes appear'd, sad, noisome, dark, 

A lazar-house it seem'd, wherein were laid . 

Numbers of all diseased, all maladies 480 

Of ghastly spasm or racking torture, qualms 

Of heart-sick agony, all fev'rous kinds, 

Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs, 

Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs, 

Demoniac frenzy, moping melancholy, 485 

And moon-struck madness, pining atrophy, 

Marasmus, and wide-wasting pestilence, 

Dropsies and asthmas, and joint-racking rheums. 

Dire was the tossing, deep the groans ; Despair 

477. Immediately a place, §c. : The second vision sets before him the image 
of death in a great variety of appearances. The angel, to give a general 
idea of those effects which his guilt had brought upon his posterity, places 
before him a large hospital, or lazar-house filled with persons lying under 
all kinds of mortal diseases. — A. 

486. Atrophy: Defect of nutrition, producing emaciation. 

487. Marasmus : Consumption accompanied with a wasting fever. 

489. The breaks and pauses in this verse are admirable ; and this beauty 
is improved by each period's beginning with the same letter d: 
" Dire was the tossing, deep the groans ; Despair.'' 
Substitute any other word in the room of dire or deep, and you will per- 
ceive the difference, and then follows : 

; - And over tliem triumphant Death his dart 
Shook, hut (lelay'tl to strike."' 

As the image is wonderfully fine, so it is excellently expressed with the 
solemn pause upon the first syllable of the line shook. One thinks that he 
almost sees the dart shaking. — N. 



494 PARADISE LOST. 

Tended the sick, busiest, from couch to couch ; 490 

And over them triumphant Death his dart 

Shook, but delay'd to strike, though oft invoked 

With vows, as their chief good and final hope. 

Sight so deform, what heart of rock could long 

Dry-eyed behold ? Adam could not, but wept, 495 

Though not of woman born. Compassion quell'd 

His best of man, and gave him to tears 

A space, till firmer thoughts restrain'd excess; 

And, scarce recov'ring words, his plaint renew'd. 

miserable mankind ! to what fall 500 

Degraded ! to what wretched state reserved ! 
Better end here unborn. Why is life given 
To be thus wrested from us ? Rather, why 
Obtruded on us thus ? who if we knew 

What we receive, would either not accept . 505 

Life offer'd, or soon beg to lay it down, 
Glad to be so dismiss 'd in peace. Can thus 
The image of God, in man created once 
So goodly and erect, though faulty since, 

To such unsightly suff'rings be debased 510 

Under inhuman pains ? Why should not man, 
Retaining still divine similitude 
In part, from such deformities be free, 
And, for his Maker's image sake, exempt ? 

Their Maker's image, answer'd Michael, then 515 

494. Deform: Deformed. 

495. Adam wept, $c. : This thought, as Mr. Walley observes, is certainly 
from Shakspeare, whose words Milton has preserved at the close of the 
sentence : 

" I had not so much of man about me, 
But all my mother came into my eyes, 
And gave me up to tears." 

Henry V. Act 4. 

496. QuelPd his best, c}e. : Subdued his strongest powers, or his utmost 
power as a man. 

502. Better end, $c. : It were better that you should end your existence 
here, yet unborn— that is, that you should be seen only in vision, and never 
have existence. 



book xr. 495 

Forsook them when themselves they vilify'd 

To serve ungovern'd appetite, and took 

His image whom they served, a brutish vice, 

Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve. 

Therefore, so abject is their punishment, 520 

Disfiguring not God's likeness, but their own, 

Or, if his likeness, by themselves defaced, 

While they pervert pure Nature's healthful rules 

To loathsome sickness ; worthily, since they 

God's image did not rev'rence in themselves. 525 

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit. 
But is there yet no other way, besides 
These painful passages, how we may come 
To death, and mix with our connatural dust ? 

There is, said Michael, if thou well observe 530 

The rule of — Not too much : by Temp'rance taught, 
In what thou eat'st and drink'st ; seeking from thence 
Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight, 
Till many years over thy head return : 

So may'st thou live till, like ripe fruit, thou drop 525 

Into thy mother's lap, or be with ease 
Gather'd, not harshly pluck'd ; for death mature. 
This is old ag> ; but then thou must outlive 

517. To serve ungoverned appetite : Appetite here is made a person. «lnd 
look his image whom they served : The image of ungoverned appetite. A 
brutish degrading vice: That was the principal occasion of the sin of Eve. 
Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve : How different is this image from God's 
image, as described IV. 291. — N. 

531. The rule of — Not too much : " Ne quid nimis." — N. 

536. Mothers lap: The Earth. An allusion may here be made to an in- 
cident mentioned by Livy, Book i. chap. 56, where Brutus is said to have 
imprinted a kiss upon the earth, because she was the common mother of all 
mortals. 

538. But then thou must outlive, &rc. : There is something very just and 
poetical in this description of the miseries of old age, so finely contrasted as 
they are with the opposite pleasures of youth. It is indeed short, but vastly 
expressive, and I think ought to excite the pity as well as the admiration 
of the reader ; since the poor poet is here no doubt describing what he felt 
at the time he wrote it, being then in the decline of life, and troubled with 
various infirmities. — Thter. 



496 PARADISE LOST. 

Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change 

To wither'd, weak, and grey. Thy senses then 540 

Obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forego, 

To what thou hast ; and for the air of youth, 

Hopeful and cheerful, in thy blood will reign 

A melancholy damp of cold and dry, 

To weigh thy spirits down, and last consume 545 

The balm of life. To whom our ancestor : 

Henceforth I fly not death, nor would prolong 
Life much, bent rather how I may be quit, 
Fairest and easiest, of this cumb'rous charge, 
Which I must keep till my appointed day 550 

Of rend'ring up, and patiently attend 
My dissolution. Michael replied : 

Nor love thy life, nor hate ; but what thou liv'st 
Live well ; how long, or short permit to Heav'n. 
And now prepare thee for another sight. 555 

He look'd, and saw a spacious plain, whereon 
Were tents of various hue : by some were herds 
Of cattle grazing ; others, whence the sound 
Of instruments, that made melodious chime, 
Was heard, of harp and organ ; and who moved 560 

Their stops and chords, was seen. His volant touch 
Instinct through all proportions low and high, 

551. Attend : Wait for. 

553-54. Nor love, fyc. : Campbell remarks that the dignity and authority 
of the preceptive style receive no small lustre from brevity. How many 
important lessons are couched in these two lines ! 

554. Permit to Heatfn : " Permitte Divis," Hor. Od. i. 9 : 9. — N. 

557. Tents, fyc. : Those of Cain's descendants. 

558. Cattle, fyc. : These belonged to Jabal. 

558-97. Whence the sound, fyc. : As there is nothing more delightful in 
poetry than a contrast and opposition of incidents, the author, after this 
melancholy prospect of death and sickness, raises up a scene of mirth and 
love. The secret pleasure that steals into Adam's heart, as he is intent 
upon the vision, is imagined with great delicacy. — A. 

560. Harp and organ : Invented by Jubal. 

561. Volant: Flying, rapid. Instinct: Spontaneous, without effort. 



book xi. 497 

Fled and pursued transverse the resonant fugue. 

In other part stood one who, at the forge 

Labouring, two massy clods of iron and brass 565 

Had melted (whether found where casual fire 

Had wasted woods on mountain or in vale, 

Down to the veins of earth, thence gliding hot 

To some cave's mouth ; or whether wash'd by stream 

From under ground) : the liquid ore he drain'd 570 

Into fit moulds prepared ; from which he form'd 

First his own tools ; then what might else be wrought 

Fusile, or grav'n in metal. After these, 

But on the hither side, a different sort 

From the high neighb'ring hills, which were their seat, 575 

Down to the plain descended. By their guise, 

Just men they seem'd, and all their study bent 

To worship God aright, and know his works 

Not hid ; nor those things last which might preserve 

Freedom and peace to men. They on the plain 580 

Long had not walk'd, when, from the tents, behold 

A bevy of fair women, richly gay 

In gems and wanton dress ! To th' harp they sung 

Soft amorous ditties, and in dance came on. 

563. Resonant fugue : A musical composition, in which the several parts 
follow each other (irom fuga, flight , each repeating the subject at a certain 
interval, above or below the preceding part. — Brande. 

564. Stood one: Tubal-Cain, Gen. iv. 20-22. 

573. Fusil : Flowing, in a melted state. Grav'n : Carved. After these : 
As being the descendants of the younger brother. But on the hither side : 
Cain having been banished into a more distant country. A different sort : 
The posterity of Seth, wholly different from that of Cain. From the high 
neighbouring hills which were their seat : Having their habitation in the 
mountains near Paradise. Down to the plain descended : Where the Cainites 
dwelt. By their guise just men they seem'd, §c. : The Scripture itself speaks 
oi them as the worshippers of the true God. And know his works not hid: 
Josephus, and other writers, inform us that they were addicted to the study 
of natural philosophy, and especially of astronomy (Antiq. lib. i. c. 2) . Nor 
those things last which m ; ght preserve : Nor was it their last care and study to 
know those things which might preserve freedom and peace to men. — N. 

583. Bevy: Company. 

F F 



498 PARADISE LOST. 

The men, though grave, eyed them, and let their eyes 585 

Rove without rein, till in the amorous net 

First Caught, they liked, and each his liking chose : 

And now of love they treat, till th' ev'ning star, 

Love's harbinger, appear'd ; then all in heat 

They light the nuptial torch, and bid invoke 590 

Hymen, then first to marriage rites invoked. 

With feast and music all the tents resound. 

Such happy interview, and fair event 

Of love and youth not lost, songs, garlands, flow'rs, 

And charming symphonies, attach'd the heart 595 

Of Adam, soon inclined t' admit delight, 

The bent of nature ; which he thus express'd : 

True opener of mine eyes, prime Angel blest, 
Much better seems this vision, and more hope 
Of peaceful days portends, than those two past: 600 

Those were of hate and death, or pain much worse ; 
Here Nature seems fulfill'd in all her ends. 

To whom thus Michael : Judge not what is best 
By pleasure, though to nature seeming meet, 
Created, as thou art, to nobler end, 605 

Holy and pure, conformity divine. 
Those tents thou saw'st so pleasant were the tents 
Of wickedness, wherein shall dwell his race 
Who slew his brother. Studious they appear 
Of arts that polish life, inventors rare, 610 

Unmindful of their Maker, though his Spirit 
Taught them ; but they his gifts acknowledged none;' 
Yet they a beauteous offspring shall begot ; 
For that fair female troop thou saw'st, that seem'd 
Of Goddesses, so blithe, so smooth, so gay, 615 

587. Liking : Object of his liking. 

588. Ev'ning star : Venus. 

591. Hymen: The pagan god of marriage. 

604. Pleasure : By the pleasure it affords. 

614. The construction is, for thou sawest that fair female troop that scenCdi 

ifC. 



book xi. 499 

Yet empty of all good, wherein consists 

Women's domestic honour and chief praise ; 

Bred only and completed to the taste 

Of lustful appetence, to sing, to dance, 

To dress, and troll the tongue, and roll the eye ; — 620 

To these that sober race of men, whose lives 

Religious titled them the sons of God, 

Shall yield up all their virtue, all their fame, 

Ignobly to the trains and to the smiles 

Of these fair atheists ; and now swim in joy, 625 

Ere long to swim at large ; and laugh, for which 

The world ere long a world of tears must weep. 

To whom thus Adam, of short joy bereft : 
O pity and shame, that they, who to live well 
Enter'd so fair, should turn aside to tread 630 

Paths indirect, or in the mid-way faint ! 
But still I see the tenor of Man's woe 
Holds on the same, from Woman to begin. 

From Man's effeminate slackness it begins, 
Said th' Angel, who should better hold his place 635 

By wisdom, and superior gifts received. 
But now prepare thee for another scene. 

He look'd, and saw wide territory spread 
Before him ; towns and rural works between ; 
Cities of men, with lofty gates and tow'rs, 640 

Concourse in arms, fierce faces threat'ning war, 
Giants of mighty bone, and bold emprise : 
Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed, 
Single or in array of battle ranged 

622. Sons of God: Descendants of Seth, Gen. vi. 1-4; but there are pas- 
sages in this poem which countenance the exploded notion of the angels 
being intended, III. 463 ; V. 447 ; also in Par. Reg. II. 178. 

626-27. Stvim at large . . . world of tears: Witty allusions to the deluge, 
which was occasioned by Ihe depravity to which these unlawful or ill- 
advised marriages gave rise, Gen. vi. 4-13. 

637. Another scene : That of war, which causes Adam to shed tears, and 
pour forth most pathetic and just lamentations, 674-82. 

642. Emprise: Enterprise. 



500 



PARADISE LOST. 



Both horse and foot ; nor idly rnust'ring stood. 645 

One way a band select from forage drives 

A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine, 

From a fat meadow-ground ; or fleecy flock, 

Ewes and their bleating lambs over the plain, 

Their booty. Scarce with life the shepherds fly, 650 

But call in aid ; which makes a bloody fray. 

With cruel tournament the squadrons join : 

Where cattle pastured late, now scatter'd lies 

With carcases and arms th' insanguined field 

Deserted. Others, to a city strong 655 

Lay siege, encamp'd ; by battery, scale, and mine 

Assaulting : others, from the wall, defend 

With dart and javelin, stones and sulph'rous fire : 

On each hand slaughter and gigantic deeds. 

In other part the scepter'd heralds call 660 

To council in the city gates. Anon 

Grey-headed men and grave, with warriors mix'd, 

Assemble, and harangues are heard ; but soon 

In factious opposition, till at last 

Of middle age one rising, eminent 665 

In wise deport, spake much of right and wrong, 

Of justice, of religion, truth and peace, 

And judgment from above. Hiui old and young 

Exploded, and had seized with violent hands, 

Had not a cloud descending snatch'd hiui thence, 670 

Unseen amid the throng : so violence 

Proceeded, and oppression, and sword-law 

660. Iliad xviii. 491, 509, 527, 550, &c. 

661. The city gates used to be the place for popular assemblies, and for 
judicial business. 

665. Of middle age : Not as life is now measured. Enoch, here referred 
to, was three hundred and sixty-five years old at the time of his translation, 
Gen. v. 23, which was only about half the usual duration then of human 
life. 

6GG. Deport : Deportment. 

668. Judgment, fyc. : Jude 14. 

669. Exploded : Rejected with disdain, cried down. 



BOOK XI. 50] 

Through all the plain ; and refuge none was found. 

Adam was all in tears, and to his Guide 

Lamenting, turn'd full sad : what are these ? 675 

Death's ministers, not men, who thus deal death 

Inhumanly to men, and multiply 

Ten thousand fold the sin of him who slew 

His brother ! for of whom such massacre 

Make they but of their brethren, men of men ? 680 

But who was that just man, whom had not Heav'n 

Rescued, had in his righteousness been lost ? 

To whom thus Michael : These are the product 
Of those ill-mated marriages thou saw'st ; 
Where good with bad were match 'd ; who of themselves 685 
Abhor to join, and by imprudence mix'd, 
Produce prodigious births of body or miud. 
Such were these giants, men of high renown ; 
For in those days might only shall be admired, 
And valour and heroic virtue call'd ; 690 

To overcome in battle and subdue 
Nations,' and bring home spoils with infinite 
Man-slaughter, shall be held the highest pitch 
Of human glory, and for glory done 

Of triumph, to be styled great conquerors, 695 

Patrons of mankind, (rods, and sons of Gods : 
Destroyers rightlier call'd, and plagues of men. 
Thus fame shall be achieved, renown on earth, 
And what most merits fame in silence hid. 
But he the seventh from thee, whom thou beheld'st 700 

The only righteous in a world perverse, 
And therefore hated, therefore so beset 
With foes for daring single to be just, 
And utter odious truth, that God would come 

687. Prodigious births of body or mind : Milton leaves to the reader to 
choose between the two interpretations, that these men were either of 
gigantic stature and power, or of gigantic wickedness. 

690. Called : Held in esteem. 

694. For glory done of triumph, Sfc. : And shall be done for the glory of 
triumph, for the purpose of being styled great conquerors, fyc. 



502 PARADISE LOST. 

To judge them with his saints ; him the Most High, 705 

Rapt in a balmy cloud with winged steeds, 

Did, as thou saw'st, receive to walk with God, 

High in salvation and the climes of bliss, 

Exempt from death ; to shew thee what reward 

Awaits the good, the rest what punishment: 710 

Which now direct thine eyes, and soon behold. 

He look'd and saw the face of things quite changed. 
The brazen throat of war had ceased to roar : 
All now was turn'd to jollity and game, 

To luxury and riot, feast and dance, 715 

Marrying or prostituting, as befel, 
Rape or adultery, where passing fair 
Allured them : thence from cups to civil broils. 
At length a reverend sire among them came, 
And of their doings great dislike declared, 720 

And testified against their ways. He oft 
Frequented their assemblies, whereso met, 
Triumphs or festivals, and to them preach'd 
Conversion and repentance, as to souls 

In prison under judgments imminent : 725 

But all in vain : which when he saw, he ceased 
Contending, and removed his tents far off : 
Then from the mountain, hewing timber tall, 
Began to build a vessel of huge bulk, 

Measured by cubit, length, and breadth, and heigh th ; 730 

Smear 'd round with pitch, and in the side a door 
Contrived ; and of provisions laid in large 



711. Which is governed by the more remote verb behold. 

712, &e. To keep up an agreeable variety in his visions, after having 
raised in the mind of his reader the several ideas of terror which are con- 
formable to the description of war, Milton passes on to those softer images 
of triumphs and festivals, in that vision of voluptuousness and luxury which 
ushers in the flood. — A. 

719. Sire: Noah. 

732. Large : Largely. As in Latin, the adjective is often used by MiltoP 
for the adverb. 



BOOK. XI. 



503 



For man and beast ; when lo, a wonder strange I 

Of every beast, and "bird, and insect small, 

Came sevens and pairs, and enter'd in as taught 735 

Their order : last, the sire and his three sons 

With their four wives ; and God made fast the door. 

Meanwhile the south wind rose, and with black wings 

Wide hov'ring, all the clouds together drove 

From under Heaven ; the bills, to their supply, 740 

Vapour, and exhalation dusk and moist, 

Sent up amain. And now the thicken'd sky 

Like a dark ceiling stood ; down rush'd the rain 

Impetuous, and continued till the earth 

No more was seen. The floating vessel swum 745 

Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow, 

Rode tilting o'er the waves : all dwellings else 

Flood overwhelm'd, and them with all their pomp 

Deep under water roll'd ; sea cover'd sea, 

Sea without shore : and in their palaces, 750 

Where luxury late reign'd, sea monsters whelp'd 

And stabled. Of mankind, so numerous late, 

All left, in one small bottom swum imbark'd. 

How didst thou grieve then, Adam, to behold 

The end of all thy offspring, end so sad, 755 

Depopulation ! Thee another flood, 

Of tears and sorrow a flood, thee also drown'd, 

And sunk thee as thy sons ; till gently rear'd 

By th' Angel, on thy feet thou stood'st at last, 

Though comfortless, as when a father mourns 760 

738. The description of the deluge here given by Milton bears in many 
particulars a great resemblance to the deluge of Deucaleon, described by 
Ovid, Book i. 260-355 ; but with great judgment has he omitted everything 
redundant or puerile in the Latin poet. — A. 

742. Amain: At once. 

749. A new sea covered the old one. 

753. All (that were) left. 

754. The transition made by the poet from the vision of the deluge to the 
concern it occasioned in Adam, is exquisitely graceful, and copied after 
Virgil ; yet the first thought is rather in the spirit of Ovid. 



5)4 PARADISE LOST. 

His children, all in view destroy'd at once : 

And scarce to th 1 Angel utter'dst thus thy plaint : 

visions ill foreseen ! Better had I 
Lived ignorant of future, so had borne 

My part of evil only, each day's lot 765 

Enough to bear ! those now, that were dispensed 
The burden of many ages, on me light 
At once, by my foreknowledge gaining birth 
Abortive, to torment me era their being, 

With thought that they must be ! Let no man seek 770 

Henceforth to be foretold what shall befal 
Him or his children : evil he may be sure, 
Which neither his foreknowing can prevent, 
And he the future evil shall no less 

In apprehension than in substance feel 775 

Grievous to bear. But that care now is past ; 
Man is not whom to warn : those few escaped 
Famine and anguish will at last consume, 
Wand'ring that watery desert. I had hope 
When violence was ceased, and war on earth, 780 

All would have then gone well, peace would have crown'd 
With length of happy days the race of man ; 
But I was far deceived : for now I see 
Peace to corrupt no less than war to waste. 
How comes it thus ? Unfold, celestial guide, 785 

And whether here the race of man will end. 

To whom thus Michael : Those, whom last thou saw'st 
In triumph and luxurious wealth, are they 
First seen in acts of prowess eminent 

And great exploits, but of true virtue void ; 790 

Who, having spilt much blood, and done much waste, 
Subduing nations, and achieved thereby 

766. Dispensed : Distributed, or dealt out in parcels, as the burden, &c. 
769. Abortive: Premature. 

773. Neither : Not. As in this instance, and frequently in Latin, this 
word is not always followed by nor, but by and sometimes. 
777. Escaped : That have escaped. 784. (Tends) to corrupt. 



BOOK XI. 505 

Fame in the world, high titles, and rich prey, 

Shall change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth, 

Surfeit, and lust, till wantonness and pride 595 

Raise out of friendship hostile deeds in peace. 

The conquer'd a'so, and enslaved by war, 

Shall, with their freedom lost, all virtue lose 

And fear of God, from whom their piety feign'd 

In sharp contest of battle found no aid 800 

Against invaders ; therefore cool'd in zeal, 

Thenceforth shall practice how to live secure, 

Worldly or dissolute, on what their lords 

Shall leave them to enjoy ; for th' earth shall bear 

More than enough, that temperance may be try'd: 805 

So all shall turn degenerate, all depraved, 

Justice and temperance, truth and faith forgot 

One man except, the only son of light 

In a dark age, against example good, 

Against allurement, custom, and a world 810 

Offended ; fearless of reproach and scorn, 

Or violence, he of their wicked ways 

Shall them admonish, and before them set 

The paths of righteousness, how much more safe, 

And full of peace ; denouncing wrath to come 815 

On their impenitence ; and shall return 

Of them derided, but of God observed 

The one just man alive. By his command 

Shall build a wond'rous ark, as thou beheld'st 

To save himself and household from amidst 820 

A world devote to universal wrack. 

No sooner he, with them of man and beast 

Select for life, shall in the ark be lodged, 

And shelter'd round, but all the cataracts 

798. Shall with freedom lost, fyc. : Milton everywhere shows his love of 
liberty; and here he observes very rightly that the loss of liberty is soon 
followed by the loss of all virtue and religion. — N. 

809. Contrary to the example of others, good. 

821. Devote: Devoted. 

824. Cataracts : In the Arabic, Septuagint, Syriac, and Latin versions of 



506 PARADISE LOST. 

Of Heav'n, set open on the earth, shall pour 825 

Rain day and night ; all fountains of the deep, 

Broke up, shall heave the ocean, to usurp 

Beyond all bounds, till inundation rise 

Above the highest hills : then shall this mount 

Of Paradise, by might of waves, be moved 830 

Out of his place, push'd by the horned flood, 

With all his verdure spoil'd, and trees adrift, 

Down the great river to the opening gulf, 

And there take root an island salt and bare, 

The haunt of seals, and ores, and sea-mew's clang ; 835 

To teach thee that God attributes to place 

No sanctity, if none be thither brought 

By men who there frequent, or therein dwell. 

And now what further shall ensue, behold. 

He look'd, and saw the ark hull on the flood, 840 

Genesis, this is the translation of the word which, in the English version, is 
endered windows. 

826. All fountains of the deep : The great reservoirs of waters under 
ground. 

829. It is the opinion of many learned men, that Paradise was destroyed 
by the deluge, and our author describes it in a very poetical manner. 
Push'd by the horn'd flood : So that it was before the flood became universal, 
and while it poured along like a vast river ; for rivers, when they meet with 
anything to obstruct their passage, divide themselves, and become horned, as 
it were ; and hence the ancients have compared them to bulls : 

" Sic tauriforis volvitur Aufidus." 

Hor. Od. iv. 14. »5, 

Down the great river to the opening gulf: Down the river Tigris or Euphra- 
tes, to the Persian Gulf. They were both rivers of Eden, and Euphrates 
particularly is called in Scripture, "the great river, the River Euphrates,' 1 
Gen. xv. 18.— N. 

835. Ores : A species of whale. Clangor is the term which was used by 
the Latins to express the noise occasioned by the flight of large flocks of 
birds. 

836-37. A weighty and practical remark, deserving universal attention, 
I think, says Mr. Thyer, that Milton here alludes to the manner of conse- 
crating churches used by Archbishop Laud, which was prodigiously cla- 
moured against by people of our author's thinking, as superstitious and 
toolish. 

840. The ark is called a hull, because destitute of masts and sails. 



BOOK XII. 507 

Which now abated ; for the clouds were fled, 

Driven by a keen north-wind, that, blowing dry, 

Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd ; 

And the clear sun on his wide watery glass 

Gazed hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew, S45 

As after thirst ; which made their flowing shrink 

From standing lake to tripping ebb, that stole 

With soft foot towards the Deep, who now had stopt 

His sluices, as the Heav'n his windows shut. 

The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground, 850 

Fast on the top of some high mountain fix'd. 

And now the tops of hills as rocks appear : 

With clamour thence the rapid currents drive 

Towards the retreating sea their furious tide. 

Forthwith from out the ark a raven flies, 855 

And after him, the surer messenger, 

A dove, sent forth once and again to spy 

Green tree or ground whereon his foot may light. 

The second time returning, in his bill 

An olive leaf he brings; pacific sign. 860 

843. Wrinkled the face, §c. : The deluge is here personified, and repre- 
sented with the wrinkles of old age, being about to disappear. The image, 
though exact, is regarded as far-fetched. 

844. The sun is next personified in a happier manner. He looks into the 
diluvial ocean as his mirror. He drinks, as after thirst, of the fresh wave, the 
process of rapid evaporation produced by the sun's rays being alluded to. 
Wave is here put for waves, as we infer from the next line, which speaks of 
their flowing. 

847. The ebb, or reflux water, is here beautifully personified. He steals 
with soft foot towards the deep. The deep is personified. He stops his 
sluices : The openings miraculously made, which let out his waters upon the 
earth. The sacred writer (Gen. vii. 11; viii. 3) , and the poet ^8^G--'S) 
seem to suppose that, besides the ocean, ther? is an immense reservoir oi 
water enclosed in the earth. They call it the " Deep," the " Fountains of the 
Deep ;" and to this source, and to the cataracts, or water-spouts of Heaven, 
they attribute the deluge. Heaven (849) is personified also. 

860. Pacific sign: Sign of peace, of God's mercy to mankind. The olive 
was sacred to Pallas, and borne by those who sued for peace, as being the 
emblem of it, and of plenty : 

•• Pacifertcque manu ramum pi a;tcndit oliva;.'' 

.En viii. 110. 



508 



PARADISE LOST. 



Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark 

The ancient sire descends with all his train : 

Then, with uplifted hands and eyes devout, 

Grateful to Heav'n, over his head beholds 

A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow 865 

Conspicuous with three listed colours gay, 

Betokening peace from God and covenant new. 

Whereat the heart of Adam, erst so sad, 

Greatly rejoiced, and thus his joy broke forth : 

thou, who future things canst represent 870 

As present, heav'nly Instructor, I revive 

At this last sight ; assured that man shall live 

With all the creatures, and their seed preserve. 

Far less I now lament for one whole world 

Of wicked sons destroy'd, than I rejoice 875 

For one man found so perfect and so just, 

That God vouchsafes to raise another world 

From him and all his anger to forget. 

But say, what mean those colour'd streaks in Heav'n 

Distended, as the brow of God appeased ? 880 

Or serve they as a flow'ry verge to bind 

The fluid skirts of that same watery cloud, 

Lest it again dissolve and shower the earth ? 

To whom the Arch-Angel : Dext'rously thou aim'st; 
So willingly doth God remit his ire, 885 

Though late repenting him of man depraved, 
Grieved at his heart, when looking down he saw 
The whole earth fill'd with violence, and all flesh 
Corrupting, each their way ; yet those removed, 
Such grace shall one just man find in his sight, 890 

That he relents, not to blot out mankind, 
And makes a covenant never to destroy 

866. Three listed colours: Three striped colours. Referring to the red, 
yellow, and blue, which are the principal ones. 

882-83. An ingenious thought. 

886-87. Gen. vi. 6. A mode of speech not to be too literally interpreted ? 
but designed strongly to express the Divine displeasure in view of man's 
degeneracy. 



BOOK XI. 509 

The earth again by flood, nor let the sea 

Surpass his bounds, nor rain to drown the world 

With man therein or beast ; but when he brings 895 

Over the earth a cloud, will therein set 

His triple-coloured bow, whereon to look, 

And call to mind his covenant. Day and night, 

Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary frost, 

Shall hold their course, till fire purge all things new, 900 

Both Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell. 

895. With man therein or beast : The last term is used in a wider sense, 
as comprehending also the birds. 



BOOK XIL 



THE ARGUMENT. 

The Angel Michael continues, from the flood, to i elate what shall succeed ; 
then, in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain who that 
Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the 
fall; his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension; the state of the 
Church till his second coming ; Adam, greatly satisfied and comforted by 
these relations and promises, descends the hill with Michael ; wakens Eve, 
who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams composed to quietness 
of mind and submission ; Michael in either hand leads them out of Para- 
dise, the fiery sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their 
stations to guard the place. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

The Eleventh and Twelfth Books are built upon the single circumstance 
of the removal of our first parents from Paradise ; but though this is not in 
itself so great a subject as that in most of the foregoing Books, it is extended 
and diversified with so many surprising incidents and pleasing episodes, that 
these last two Books can by no means be looked upon as unequal parts of 
this divine poem. It may be added, that, had not Milton represented our 
first parents as driven out of Paradise, his fell of man would not have been 
complete, and, consequently, his action would have been imperfect. — A. 

But there is another topic of remark which the concluding Book of Mil- 
ton's divine poem suggests : it is his comparative affluence of invention. The 
sentence upon Adam might have been attended by immediate expulsion ; 
but how gracious is the divine condescension, to allow some interval of re- 
flection, and, previously to ejectment, to fortify the minds of the repentant 
pair with anticipated knowledge and distant consolation ! Thus the interest 
of the poem is kept alive with the reader to the last line. The whole of 
the Twelfth Book closely relates to Adam and his posterity ; and so delight- 
ful are these soothing hopes of happiness administered by the archangel, 
that we, equally with Adam, forget that we are to quit Paradise, and are, 
like him, heart-struck by the sudden warning, that " the hour is come, the 
very minute of it ;" and attend the " hastening angel, to the gates of exclu- 
sion, with all the sad and lingering acquiescence of our first parents." — E. B. 



BOOK XII. 



As one who in his journey bates at noon, 

Though bent on speed, so here th' Arch- Angel paused 

Betwixt the world destroy'd and world restored, 

If Adam aught perhaps might interpose ; 

Then with transition sweet new speech resumes. 5 

Thus thou hast seen one world begin and end ; 
And man, as from a second stock, proceed. 
Much thou hast yet to see, but I perceive 
Thy mortal sight to fail ; objects divine 

Must needs impair and weary human sense : 10 

Henceforth what is to come I will relate, 
Thou therefore give due audience and attend. 
This second source of men, while yet but few, 
And while the dread of judgment past remains 
Fresh in their minds, fearing the Deity, 15 

1. As one, §c. : In the first edition, before the last Book was divided into 
two, the narration went on without any interruption ; but upon that division 
in the second edition, these first five lines were inserted. This addition be- 
gins the Book very gracefully, and is, indeed (to apply the author's own 
words) . a sweet transition. — N. 

9-10. Thy mortal sight to fail, §c. : A very handsome reason is here 
devised for discontinuing the vision and despatching the remaining part 
of the history in the narrative form ; though, doubtless, the true reason was 
the difficulty which the poet would have found to shadow out so mixed and 
complicated a story in visible objects. — A. 



BOOK XII. 



513 



With some regard to what is just and right 

Shall lead their lives, and multiply apace, 

Labouring the soil, and reaping plenteous crop, 

Corn, wine, and oil : and from the herd or flock, 

Oft sacrificing bullock, lamb, or kid, 20 

With large wine-off 'rings pour'd, and sacred feast, 

Shall spend their days in joy unblamed, and dwell 

Long time in peace, by families and tribes, 

Under paternal rule, till one shall rise, 

Of proud ambitious heart ; who not content 25 

With fair equality, fraternal state, 

Will arrogate dominion undeserved 

Over his brethren, and quite dispossess 

Concord and law of nature from the earth, 

Hunting, (and men not beasts shall be his game,) 30 

With war and hostile snare such as refuse 

Subjection to his empire tyrannous : 

A mighty hunter thence he shall be styled 

Before the Lord, as in despite of Heav'n, 

Or from Heav'n claiming second sov'reignty ; 35 



16. With some regard, <$r. : This answers to the silver age of the poets ; 
the Paradisaical state is the golden one : that of iron begins soon (24) . — R. 

24. Till one shall rise, fyc. : It is generally agreed that the first govern- 
ments of the world were patriarchal, by families and tribes ; and that Nim- 
rod was the first who laid the foundations of kingly government among 
mankind. Our author, therefore (who was no friend to kingly government 
at the best), represents him in a very bad light, as a most wicked and inso- 
lent tyrant ; but he has great authorities, both Jewish and Christian, to jus- 
tify him for so doing. The Scripture says of Nimrod, Gen. x. 9. that " he 
was a mighty hunter before the Lord." And this our author understands in 
its worst sense of hunting men, and not beasts (30) , by persecution, oppres- 
sion, and tyranny. The phrase, before the Lord, seems to be made use of by 
way of exaggeration, and in a bad sense, as in Gen. xiii. 13; xxxviii. 7. 
And St. Austin translates the phrase, against the Lord, to which opinion our 
author conforms, as in despite of Heaven (34\ but then adopts the opinion of 
others also, that before the Lord i« the same as under the Lord, usurping all 
authority to himself next under God, and claiming it, jure Divino, as was 
done in Milton's own time ; or from Heaven claiming second sovereignty, 
35.— N. 

22* G G 



514 



PARADISE LOST. 



And from rebellion shall derive his name, 

Though of rebellion others he accuse. 

He with a crew, whom like ambition joins 

With him or under him to tyrannize, 

Marching from Eden tow'rds the west, shall find 40 

The plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge 

Boils out from under ground, the mouth of Hell : 

Of brick, and of that stuff, they cast to build 

A city and tow'r, whose top may reach to Heav'n ; 

And get themselves a name, lest far dispersed 45 

In foreign lands, their memory be lost ; 

Regardless whether good or evil fame. 

But God, who oft descends to visit men 

Unseen, and through their habitations walks 

To mark their doings, them beholding soon, 50 

Comes down to see their city, ere the tow'r 

Obstruct Heav'n-tow'rs ; and in derision sets 

Upon their tongues a various spirit, to rase 

36. Nimrod is derived from a word meaning to rebel. 

37. Though of rebellion, &fc. : This was added by our author, probably not 
without a view to his own time, when himself and those of his party were 
stigmatized as the worst of rebels. — N. 

41. Gurge: Whirlpool. The Hebrew word c/iemar, which we translate 
slime, is what the Greeks call asphaltos, and the Latins bitumen — a kind of 
pitch ; and that it abounded very much in the plain near Babylon — that it 
swam upon the waters — that there was a cave and fountain continually 
emitting it, and that this famous town, at this time, and the no less famous 
walls of Babylon afterwards, were built with this kind of cement, is con- 
firmed by the testimony of several profane authors. This black bituminous 
gurge, this pitchy pool, the poet calls the mouth of Hell — not strictly speak- 
ing, but by the same sort of figure by which the ancient poets call Tanarus, 
or Avernus, the jaws and gate of Hell, Virg. Georg. iv. 467. 

51. Comes down to see, fyc. : Gen. xi. 5, &c. The Scripture here speaks 
after the manner of men. And thus the heathen gods are often represented 
as coming down to observe the actions of men, as in the stories of Lycaon, 
Philemon, &c. — N. 

53. A various spirit : 2 Chron. xviii. 22. It is said that the Lord had put 
a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets, here he puts a various spirit in 
the mouth of the builders — a spirit varying the sounds by which they would 
express their thoughts one to another, and bringing, consequently, jonfusiotL, 
whence the work is so called. — R. 



BOOK XII. 515 

Quite out their native language, and instead 
To sow a jangling noise of words unknown. 55 

Forthwith a hideous gabble rises loud 
Among the builders ; each to other calls, 
Not understood, till hoarse, and all in rage 
As mock'd, they storm. Great laughter was in Heav'n ; 
And looking down to see the hubbub strange, 60 

And hear the din ; thus was the building left 
Ridiculous, and the work Confusion named. 
Whereto thus Adam, fatherly displeased : 
execrable son, so to aspire 

Above his brethren, to himself assuming 65 

Authority usurp'd ; from God not given. 
He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl, 
Dominion absolute ; that right we hold 
By his donation : but man over men 

He made not lord : such title to himself 70 

Reserving, human left from human free. 
But this usurper, his encroachment proud 

59. Great laughter was in Heaven : The anther varies the tense in seve- 
ral places, and speaks of the future as past — future, with regard to the time 
when the angel is speaking ; but past., with regard to the time which he is 
speaking of. Homer also represents the gods as laughing at the awkward 
limping carriage of Vulcan in waiting. Iliad i. 599, which Pope thus trans- 
lates : 

" Vulcan with awkward grace his office plies. 
And unextinguished laughter shakes the skies.'' 

But, as Mr. Thyer adds, it is rather too comic for the grave character of 
Milton's gods, to be represented as peeping down and laughing, like a parcel 
of mere mortals, to see the workmen puzzled and squabbling about their 
work ; though there are such expressions even in Scripture. Ps. ii. 4 ; 
Prov. i. 26, &c. — N. 

62. And the work Confusion named . For Babel in Hebrew signifies confu- 
sion, Gen. xi. 9. As the poet represents this confusion among the builders an 
object of ridicule, so he makes use of some ridiculous words, such as are not 
very usual in poetry, to heighten that ridicule, as jangling noise, hideous gab- 
ble, strange hubbub. — N. 

71. Human left from, $r. : That is, left mankind in full and free possession 
of their liberty. Every reader must be pleased with the spirit of liberty 
that breathes in this speech of our first ancestor. — N. 



516 PAKADISE LOST. 

Stays not on man ; to God bis tow'r intends 

Siege and defiance. Wretched man ! what food 

Will he convey up thither to sustain 75 

Himself and his rash army, where thin air 

Above the clouds will pine his entrails gross, 

And famish hiin of breath, if not of bread ? 

To whom thus Michael : Justly thou abhorr'st 
That son, who on the quiet state of men 80 

Such trouble brought, affecting to subdue 
Rational liberty ; yet know withal, 
Since thy original lapse, true liberty 
Is lost, which always with right reason dwells 
Twinn'd, and from her hath no dividual being ; 85 

Reason in man obscured, or not obey'd, 
Immediately inordinate desires 
And upstart passions catch the government 
From reason, and to servitude reduce 

Man till then free. Therefore, since he permits 90 

Within himself unworthy powers to reign 
Over free reason, God in judgment just 
Subjects him from without to violent lords ; 
Who oft as undeservedly inthrall 

His outward freedom. Tyranny must be, 95 

Though to the tyrant thereby no excuse. 
Yet sometimes nations will decline so low 
From virtue, which is reason, that no wrong, 
But justice, and some fatal curse annex'd, 
Deprives them of their outward liberty, 100 

Their inward lost. Witness th' irrev'rent son 
Of him who built the ark, who for the shame 

73. To God his tower incends : This not being asserted in Scripture, but 
only supposed by some writers, is better put into the mouth of Adam, than 
of the angel. I wish the poet had taken the same care in 51. 

84. Dwells twinned, §c. : Liberty and virtue (which is reason, 98) are twin 
sisters, and the one hath no being divided from the other. — N. 

85. Dividual: Separate. 

101. Son: Ham, Gen. ix. 23, 25. 



BOOK XII. 



517 



Done to his father, heard this heavy curse, 

' Servant of servants,*' on his vicious race. 

Thus will this latter, as the former world, 105 

Still tend from bad to worse, till God at last, 

Weary'd with their iniquities, withdraw 

His presence from among them, and avert 

His holy eyes ; resolving from thenceforth 

To leave them to their own polluted ways ; 110 

And one peculiar nation to select 

From all the rest, of whom to be invoked, 

A nation from one faithful man to spring : 

Him on this side Euphrates yet residing, 

Bred up in idol-worship. that men 115 

(Canst thou believe ?) should be so stupid grown, 

While yet the patriarch lived, who 'scaped the flood, 

As to forsake the living God, and fall 

To worship their own work in wood and stone 

For Gods ! yet him God the Most High vouchsafes 120 

To call by vision from his father's house, 

His kindred, and false Gods, into a land 

Which he shall shew him, and from him will raise 

A mighty nation, and upon him shower 

His benediction, so that in his seed 125 

All nations shall be blest. He straight obeys, 

Not knowing to what land, yet firm believes. 

I see him, but thou canst not, with what faith 



111. Nation: The Hebrew, which sprung from Abraham. 

114. Yet residing: Not when the angel was speaking, but when God se 
lected one peculiar nation. &c, 111-12. 

115. Josh. xxiv. 2. As Terah, Abraham's father, was an idolater, I think 
we may be certain that Abraham was bred up in the religion of his father, 
though he renounced it afterwards, and. in all probability, converted his 
father likewise ; for Terah removed with Abraham to Haran. and there died. 
See Gen. xi. 31, 32.— N. 

117. Terah, Abraham's father, was born two hundred and twenty-two 
years after the flood, and Noah was living till the three hundred and fiftieth 
year after it ; so that idolatry had gained some ground before his death. — S. 

128. This is not, says Stebbing, a reverting to the former vision, as some 



518 PARADISE LOST. 

He leaves his Gods, his friends, and native soil, 

Ur of Chaldaea, passing now the ford 130 

To Haran : after him a cumb'rous train 

Of herds, and flocks, and numerous servitude ; 

Not wand'ring poor, but trusting all his wealth 

With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown. 

Canaan he now attains : I see his tents 135 

Pitch 'd about Sechem, and the neighb'ring plain 

Of Moreh ; there, by promise, he receives 

Gift to his progeny of all that land, 

From Hamath northward to the Desert south 

commentators seem to suppose, but a mode of speaking natural to the angel, 
to whom all the future was revealed. 

It is well observed by Addison, that, as the principal design of this episode 
was to give Adam an idea of the holy person who was to reinstate human 
nature in that happiness and perfection from which it had fallen, the poet 
confines himself to the line of Abraham, whence the Messiah was to de- 
scend. The angel is described as seeing the patriarch actually travelling to- 
wards the land of promise, which gives a particular liveliness to this part of 
the narrative. 

Our poet, sensible that tbis long historical description might grow irksome, 
has varied the manner of representing it as much as possible, beginning first 
with supposing Adam .to have a prospect of it before his eyes, next by mak- 
ing the angel the relator of it, and lastly, by imitating the two former 
methods, and making Michael see it as in a vision, and give a rapturous en- 
livened account of it to Adam. This gives great ease to the languishing at- 
tention of the reader. — Thyer. 

130. Ur: Situated in Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates, and about four 
hundred miles northeast from Jerusalem. A short distance from Ur was 
Haran, to which Abraham first removed. Ur signifies light or fire, and re- 
ceived this name from the worship of the sun and its symbol, fire, being 
there practised. 

132. And numerous servitude : Many servants. The abstract for the con- 
crete. — N. 

139. Hamath : Quite famous in the Bible as the northern limit of the land 
of Israel. According to Coleman, it is a narrow pass between Lebanon and 
Anti-Lebanon, at the head of the great Valley Cocle-Syria, above Baalbec, 
at the head waters of the Orontes, which runs north and west one hundred 
and fifty miles into the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean. 

This river forms the natural boundary of the kingdom of Hamath on the 
south, and the limit of the land promised to Israel on the north. 



BOOK XII. 519 

(Things by their names I call, tho' yet unnamed), 140 

From Hermon east to the great western sea ; 

Mount Hermon, yonder sea ; each place behold 

In prospect, as I point them : on the shore 

Mount Carmel : here the double-founted stream 

Jordan, true limit eastward ; but his sons 145 

Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills. 

This ponder, that all nations of the earth 

Shall in his seed be blest. By that seed 

Is meant the great Deliv'rer, who shall bruise 

The Serpent's head : whereof to thee anon 150 

Plainlier shall be reveal'd. This patriarch blest, 

Whom faithful Abraham due time shall call 

A son, and of his son a grandchild leaves, 

Like him in faith, in wisdom, and renown. 

144. Doubled-founted : The Jordan has its origin among the mountains 
thirty or forty miles north of the Sea of Galilee. The original source is a 
large fountain just above Hasbeiya, twenty miles from Banias, or Caesarea 
Philippi, and the ancient idolatrous city of Dan, where again are large foun- 
tains, which have usually been regarded as the head waters of the Jordan. 
— Coleman's Geography of the Bible. 

145. True limit eastward : Though the name of Canaan sometimes in- 
cludes the whole land possessed by the twelve tribes, yet it appropriately 
belongs to no more than the country westward of the River Jordan ; and 
the Jews themselves make a distinction between the land promised to their 
fathers, and the lands of Sihon and Og, which were to the eastward of the 
river. Moses does the same, Deut. ii. 29, and the land on this side Jordan 
was esteemed more holy than the land on the other. 

146. Senir : Hermon, Deut. iii. 9, lying not far eastward of the sources of 
the Jordan, moistened with copious dews. It stands pre-eminent among the 
mountains of the land. It is thus described by an American missionary. Mr. 
Thompson: ''Old Jebel Esh-Sheihh v lhe modern name) , like a venerable 
Turk, with his head wrapped in a snowy tuiban, sits yonder on his throne in 
the sky, surveying with imperturbable dignity the fair lands below ; and all 
around, east, west, north, south, mountain meets mountain to guard and gaze 
upon the lovely vale of the Huleh. What a constellation of venerable 
names: Lebanon and Hermon, Bashan and Gilead, Moab and Judah, Sama- 
ria and Galilee !" 

152. Abraham: See Gen. xvii. 5. It means a father of many nations. 
His name previously was JLbram, signifying a great father. 



520 PARADISE LOST. 

The grandchild with twelve sons increased, departs 155 

From Canaan to a land hereafter call'd 

Egypt, divided by the river Nile. 

See where it flows, disgorging at seven mouths 

Into the sea. To sojourn in that land 

He comes, invited by a younger son, 160 

In time of dearth ; a son whose worthy deeds 

Raise him to the second in that realm 

Of Pharaoh. There he dies, and leaves his race 

Growing into a nation, and now grown 

Suspected to a sequent King, who seeks 165 

To stop their overgrowth, as inmate guests 

Too num'rous ; whence of guests he makes them slaves 

Inhospitably, and kills their infant males : 

Till by two brethren (those two brethren call 

Moses and Aaron) sent from God to claim 170 

His people from inthralment, they return 

With glory and spoil back to their promised land. 

But first the lawless tyrant, who denies 

To know their God, or message to regard, 

Must be compell'd by signs and judgments dire. 175 

To blood unshed the rivers must be turn'd ; 

Frogs, lice, and flies must all his palace fill 

With loath 'd intrusion, and fill all the land ; 

His cattle must of rot and murrain die ; 

Botches and blains must all his flesh emboss, 180 

And all his people ; thunder mix'd with hail, 

Hail mix'd with fire, must rend th' Egyptian sky, 

And wheel on th' earth, devouring where it rolls ; 

What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain 

A darksome cloud of locusts swarming down 185 

155. A Latin form of expression, as Plaut. " Cumque es aucta liberis." 

158. See where it flows, Sfc. : This pointing to the river adds a loveliness to 
the narrative, and the ancient poets seldom mention the river without tak- 
ing notice of its seven mouths, Virg. JEn. vi. 800 ; Ovid Met. i. 422 ; ii. 256. 
— N. 

179. Murren: The spelling conforms to the Latin word murrena. — N. 

183. Wheel: Exod ix. 23-4. 



BOOK XII. 521 

Must eat, and on the ground leave nothing green : 

Darkness must overshadow all his bounds, 

Palpable darkness, and blot out three days ; 

Last, with one midnight stroke, all the first-born 

Of Egypt must lie dead. Thus with ten wounds 190 

The river-dragon tamed, at length submits 

To let his sojourners depart, and oft 

Humbles his stubborn heart : but still as ice 

More harden'd after thaw, till in his rage 

Pursuing whom he late dismiss'd, the sea 195 

Swallows him with his host ; but them lets pass 

As on dry land, between two crystal walls, 

Awed by the rod of Moses so to stand 

Divided, till his rescued gain'd their shore. 

Such wondrous power God to his saint will lend, 200 

Though present in his Angel, who shall go 

Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire 

(By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire), 

To guide them in their journey, and remove 

Behind them, while th' obdurate king pursues. 205 

All night he will pursue ; but his approach 

Darkness defends between till morning watch 

Then through the fiery pillar and the cloud 

God, looking forth, will trouble all his host, 

And craze their chariot-wheels : when by command 210 

Moses once more his potent rod extends 

Over the sea ; the sea his rod obeys ; 

On their embattled ranks the waves return 

188. Palpable: In the expressive language of the Bible, "Darkness that 
may be felt." In the Latin Vulgate it reads, " Tam densae ut palpari que- 
ant." Hence our author's word palpable. 

191. The river-dragon is an allusion to the crocodile, the chief inhabitant 
of the Nile. It was probably suggested by a sublime passage ill the pro- 
phecy of Ezekiel, commencing with, " Thus saith the Lord, Behold I am 
against thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon," &c. 

207. Darkness defends between, fyc. : Darkness between them keeps off his 
approach till, &c, Exod. xiv. 19, 20. 

210. Craze: Crush, from the French ecraser. 



522 PARADISE LOST. 

And overwhelm their war : the race elect 

Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance 215 

Through the wild desert, not the readiest way, 

Lest, ent'ring on the Canaanite, alarm'd, 

War terrify them inexpert, and fear 

Return them hack to Egypt, choosing rather 

Inglorious life with servitude ; for life 220 

To noble and ignoble is more sweet 

Untrain'd in arms, where rashness leads not on. 

This also shall they gain by their delay 

In the wide wilderness ; there they shall found 

Their government, and their great senate choose 225 

Through the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd. 

God from the mount of Sinai, whose gray top 

Shall tremble, he descending, will himself 

In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpets' sound, 

Ordain them laws ; part such as appertain 230 

To civil justice, part religious rites 

Of sacrifice, informing them, by types 

And shadows, of that destined Seed to bruise 

The Serpent, by what means he shall achieve 

Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God 235 

To mortal ear is dreadful ! They beseech 

That Moses might report to them his will, 

And terror cease. He grants what they besought, 

Instructed that to God is no access 

Without Mediator, whose high office now 240 

Moses in figure bears, to introduce 

One greater, of whose day he shall foretell ; 

214. War: Army. 

216. The political cause of their long wanderings is given by Milton; the 
moral cause is omitted, for it was the design of the angel to comfort and not 
to distress Adam by this recital, Exod. xiii. 17, 18. 

227. Whose gray top : It received this hue from the snow, the clouds, and 
smoke which enveloped it, Exod. xix. 

230. Part such as appertain, fyc. : It is singular that Milton here omits all 
mention of the moral law, the delivery of which formed so impressive and 
important a part of the proceedings at Sinai. 

241. In figure: As a type or representative. 



book xii. 523 

And all the prophets, in their age the times 

Of great Messiah shall sing. The laws and rites 

Establish'd, such delight hath Grod in men 245 

Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes 

Among them to set up his tabernacle, 

The Holy One with mortal men to dwell. 

By his prescript a sanctuary is framed 

Of cedar, overlaid with gold ; therein 250 

An ark, and in the ark his testimony, 

The records of his covenant ; over these 

A mercy-seat of gold between the wings 

Of two bright Cherubim; before him burn 

Seven lamps, as in a zodiac, representing 255 

The heav'nly fires ; over the tent a cloud 

Shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by night, 

Save when they journey ; and at length they come, 

Conducted by his Angel, to the land 

Promised to Abraham and his seed. The rest 260 

"Were long to tell how many battles fought, 

How many kings destroy'd, and kingdoms won, 

Or how the sun shall in mid Heav'n stand still 

A day entire, and night's due course adjourn, 

Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon stand, 265 

And thou moon in the vale of Aijalon, 

Till Israel overcome ; so call the third 

From Abraham, son of Isaac, and from him 

His whole descent, who thus shall Canaan win. 



255. Seven lamps as in a zodiac : That the lamps signified the seven planets, 
and that, therefore, the lamps stood slope-wise, as it were, to express the 
obliquity of the zodiac, is the gloss of Josephus, from whom, probably, Mil 
ton borrowed it, Joseph. Antiq. lib. 3, c. 6, 7, and De Bel. Jud. lib. 5, c. 5. — 
N. 

258. Save when they journey : How it was when they journeyed is set forth 
in Exod. xl. 34, &c. The moving of the cloud, or of the pillar of fire was 
an indication of the divine will, that the Hebrews should proceed on their 
march. See also Exod. xiii. 21. The cloud, and the fiery gleam (-57) were 
the sublime ensigns and shields of that distinguished people, and Jehovah 
was their invisible leader. 



524 PARADISE LOST. 

Here Adam interposed : sent from Heav'n, 270 

Enlight'ner of my darkness, gracious things 
Thou hast reveal'd, those chiefly which concern 
Just Abraham and his seed : now first I find 
Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eased, 
Erewhile perplex'd with thoughts what would become 275 

Of me and all mankind ; but now I see 
His day, in which all nations shall be blest ; 
Favour unmerited by me, who sought 
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means. 
This yet I apprehend not, why to those 280 

Among whom God will deign to dwell on earth, 
So many and so various laws are given : 
So many laws argue so many sins 
Among them. How can God with such reside ? 

To whom thus Michael : Doubt not but that sin 285 

Will reign among them, as of thee begot ; 
And therefore was law given them to evince 
Their natural pravity, by stirring up 
Sin against law to fight ; that when they see 
Law can discover sin, but not remove, 290 

Save by those shadowy expiations weak, 

270. Here Adam interposed : These interpositions of Adam have a very 
good effect, for otherwise the continued narrative of the angel would appear 
too long, and be tedious. — N. 

274. Mine eyes true opening: For that was a false promise which the 
tempter had made, Gen. iii. 5. — N. 

277. His : John viii. 56. 

283. So many laws argue, fyc. : The scruple of our first father, and the re- 
ply of the angel, are grounded on St, Paul's Epistles, and particularly those 
to the Ephesians, Galatians, and Hebrews. Compare the following texts 
with our author: Gal. iii. 19; Rom. vii. 7, 8; Rom. iii. 20; Heb. ix. 13,14; 
Heb. x. 4, 5 ; Rom. iv. 22-4 ; v. 1 ; Heb. vii. 18, 19 ; x. 1 ; Gal. iii. 11, 12, 
23 ; iv. 7 ; Rom. viii. 15. 

How admirably, as Bishop Newton further remarks, hath our author, in a 
few lines, summed up the sense and argument of these and more texts of 
Scripture ! It is really wonderful how he could comprise so much divinity 
in so few words, and, at the same time, express it with such strength and 
perspicuity. 



BOOK XII. 525 

The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude 

Some blood more precious must be paid for man ; 

Just for unjust, that in such righteousness 

To them by faith imputed, they may find 295 

Justification towards God, and peace 

Of conscience, which the law by ceremonies 

Cannot appease, nor man the moral part 

Perform, and, not performing, cannot live. 

So law appears imperfect, and but given 300 

With purpose to resign them in full time 

Up to a better covenant, disciplined 

From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit, 

From imposition of strict laws to free 

Acceptance of large grace, from servile fear 305 

To filial, works of law to works of faith. 

And therefore shall not Moses, though of God 

Highly beloved, being but the minister 

Of law, his people into Canaan lead ; 

But Joshua, whom the Gentiles Jesus call, 310 

His name and office bearing, who shall quell 

The adversary Serpent, and bring back, 

Through the world's wilderness long wander'd man 

Safe to eternal Paradise of rest. 

Meanwhile they in their earthly Canaan placed, 315 

Long time shall dwell and prosper, but when sins 

National interrupt their public peace, 

Provoking God to raise them enemies ; 

From whom as oft he saves them penitent 

By judges first, then under kings ; of whom 320 

The second, both for piety renown'd 

And puissant deeds, a promise shall receive 

Irrevocable, that his regal throne 

310. Jesus: Acts vii. 45; Heb. iv. 8. Joshua in Hebrew, arid Jems in 
Greek, are the same name. The Septucgint renders the former by the lat- 
ter, and in the passages here quoted the one is substituted for the other. The 
name means Saviour. 

322. A promise, fyc. : Reference is made to 2 Sam. vii. 16, and Ps. lxxxix. 
34-36. 



526 PARADISE LOST. 

For ever shall endure. The like shall sing 

All prophecy, that of the royal stock 325 

Of David (so I name this King) shall rise 

A Son, the Woman's Seed to thee foretold, 

Foretold to Abraham, as in whom shall trust 

All nations, and to kiDgs foretold, of kings 

The last ; for of his reign shall be no end. 330 

But first a long succession must ensue, 

And his next son, for wealth and wisdom famed, 

The clouded ark of God, till then in tents 

Wand'ring, shall in a glorious temple enshrine. 

Such follow him as shall be register 'd 335 

Part good, part bad, of bad the longer scroll ; 

Whose foul idolatries, and other faults 

Heap'd to the popular sum, will so incense 

God, as to leave them, and expose their land, 

Their city, his temple, and his holy ark, 340 

With all his sacred things, a scorn and prey 

To that proud city, whose high walls thou saw'st 

Left in confusion, Babylon thence call'd : 

There in captivity he lets them dwell 

The space of seventy years, then brings them back, 345 

Rememb'ring mercy, and his covenant sworn 

To David, 'stablish'd as the days of Heav'n. 

Return 'd from Babylon, by leave of kings 

Their lords, whom God disposed, the house of God 

They first re-edify, and for a while 350 

In mean estate live moderate, till grown 

In wealth and multitude, factious they grow. 

But, first, among the priests dissension springs ! 

Men who attend the altar, and should most 

Endeavour peace. Their strife pollution brings 355 

325. All prophecy: All the prophets. 

338. Heap'd to the popular sum : Added to the people's amount (of crime). 

342. Thou satccst: Not physically, but with the eye of the mind upon the 
narration of the angel. 

355. Their strife. &rr. : It was chiefly through the contests between Jason 
and Manelaus, high priests of the Jews, that the temple was polluted by 



book xii. 527 

Upon the temple itself. At last they seize 

The sceptre, and regard not David's sons ; 

Then lose it to a stranger, that the true 

Anointed King, Messiah, might be born 

Barr'd of his right ; yet at his birth a star, 360 

Unseen before in Heav'n, proclaims him come, 

And guides the eastern sages, who inquire 

His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold. 

His place of birth a solemn Angel tells 

To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night : 365 

They gladly thither haste, and, by a choir 

Of squadron 'd Angels, hear his carol sung : 

A virgin is his mother, but his Sire 

The Pow'r of the Most High. He shall ascend 

The throne hereditary, and bound his reign ■ 370 

With earth's wide bounds, his glory with the Heav'ns. 

He ceased, discerning Adam with such joy 
Surcharged, as had like grief been dew'd in tears, 
Without the vent of words, which these he breathed : 

O prophet of glad tidings ! finisher 375 

Of utmost hope ! now clear I understand 
What oft my steadiest thoughts have search 'd in vain, 
Why our great expectation should be call'd 
The seed of Woman. Virgin Mother, hail ! 
High in the love of Heav'n, yet from my loins 380 

Thou shalt proceed, and from thy womb the Son 
Of God Most High ; so Grod with Man unites. 
Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise 

Antiochus Epiphanes. See 2 Maccab. v., and Prideaux, and Davidson. At 
last they seize the sceptre (356) : Aristobulus, the eldest son of Hyrcanus, high 
priest of the Jews, was the first who assumed the title of king after the 
Babylonish captivity, b. c. 107. And regard not David's sons : None of the 
family having had the government since the days of Zerubbabel. Then 
lose it to a stranger (358) : To Herod who was an Idumean, in whose reign 
Christ was born. See Josephus and Prideaux. — N. 

370. And bound his reign : A beautiful parallel passage may be read in 
Virg. JEn. i. 287 : 

" Imperium oceano. famam qui terminet astris." 

383. Capital bruise : Bruise on the head. 



52S PARADISE LOST. 

Expect with mortal pain. Say where and when 385 

Their fight ; what stroke shall bruise the Victor's heel ? 

To whom thus Michael : Dream not of their fight 
As of a duel, or the local wounds 
Of head or heel : not therefore joins the Son 
Manhood to Godhead, with more strength to foil 
Thy enemy ; nor so is overcome 390 

Satan, whose fall from Heav'n, a deadlier bruise, 
Disabled not to give thee thy death's wound : 
Which he, who comes thy Saviour, shall recure, 
Not by destroying Satan, but his works 

In thee and in thy seed : nor can this be, 395 

But by ful611ing that which thou didst want, 
Obedience to the law of God imposed 
On penalty of death, and suffering death, 
The penalty to thy transgression due, 

And due to theirs, which out of thine will grow : 400 

So only can high justice rest appaid. 
The law of God exact he shall fulfil, 
Both by obedience and by love, though love 
Alone fulfil the law. Thy punishment 

He shall endure, by coming in the flesh 405 

To a reproachful life and cursed death, 
Proclaiming life to all who shall believe 
In his redemption, and that his obedience 
Imputed becomes theirs by faith, his merits 
To save them, not their own, though legal works. 410 

400. Due to theirs, fyc. : Punishment is due to men's actual transgressions, 
though the original depravity, the transgression of Adam, was the root of 
them. — R. 

401. Appaid: Satisfied. 

410. To save them, §c. : I apprehend that the verb believe governs the rest 
of the sentence, and I understand the passage thus : Proclaiming life to 
all who shall believe in his redemption, and shall believe that his obedimce im- 
puted becomes theirs by faith, and shall believe his merits to save them, not their 
own, though legal works. — N. 

Another, and perhaps better construction, may be suggested for the latter 
part of this passage, commencing at his merits (409) , by simply supplying 
(from 407) the word proclaiming. Proclaiming his merits to save, &c. 



BOOK XII. 521) 

For this he shall live hated, be blasphemed, 

Seized on by force, judged, and to death condemn'd, 

A shameful and accursed, nail'd to the cross 

By his own nation, slain for bringing life ; 

But to the cross he nails thy enemies ; 415 

The law that is against thee, and the sins 

Of all mankind, with him there crucify'd, 

Never to hurt them more who rightly trust 

In this his satisfaction. So he dies, 

But soon revives ; death over him no power 420 

Shall long usurp : ere the third dawning light 

Return, the stars of morn shall see him rise 

Out of his grave, fresh as the dawning light ; 

Thy ransom paid, which man from death redeems, 

His death for man, as many as offer'd life 425 

Neglect not, and the benefit embrace 

By faith not void of works. This Godlike act 

Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst have died, 

In sin for ever lost from life* This act 

Shall bruise the head of Satan, crush his strength, 430 

Defeating sin and death, his two main arms, 

And fix far deeper in his head their stings 

Than temp'ral death shall bruise the Victor's heel, 

Or theirs whom he redeems, a death-like sleep, 

A gentle wafting to immortal life. 435 

Nor after resurrection shall he stay 

Longer on earth than certain times t' appear 

To his disciples, men who in his life 

Still follow'd him : to them shall leave in charge 

To teach all nations what of him they learn 'd 440 

And his salvation ; them who shall believe 

Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign 

415. Enemies : These are the law and the sins mentioned in the following 
line. Col. ii. 14, is alluded to. 

424. Thy ransom, Sfc. : Adam is spoken of as a representative of the 
human race ; so in 427. 

425. An explanation is here made of the term ransom in the line above. 

23 Hh 



530 PARADISE LOST. 

Of washing them from guilt of sin to life 

Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befall, 

For death, like that which the Redeemer died. 445 

All nations they shall teach ; for, from that day, 

Not only to the sons of Abraham's loins 

Salvation shall be preach'd, but to the sons 

Of Abraham's faith, wherever through the world ; 

Lo in his seed all nations shall be blest. 450 

Then to the Heav'n of Heav'ns he shall ascend 

With victory, triumphing through the air 

Over his foes and thine ; there shall surprise 

The Serpent, prince of air, and drag in chains 

Thro' all the realm, and there confounded leave ; 455 

Then enter into glory, and resume 

His scat at God's right hand, exalted high 

Above all names in Heav'n ; and thence shall come, 

When this world's dissolution shall be ripe, 

With glory and pow'r to judge both quick and dead ; 460 

To judge th' unfaithful dead, but to reward 

His faithful, and receive them into bliss, 

Whether in Heav'n or Earth ; for then the Earth 

Shall all be Paradise ; far happier place 

Than this of Eden, and far happier days. 465 

So spake th' Arch-Angel Michael, then paused, 
As at the worldV great period ; and our sire, 
Replete with joy and wonder, thus reply'd : 

Godness infinite, Goodness immense ! 
That all this good of evil shall produce, 470 

And Evil turn to good ! more wonderful 
Than that which by creation first brought forth 
Light out of darkness ! full of doubt I stand, 
Whether I should repent me now of sin, 

469. The poet has very finely represented the joy and gladness of heart 
which rises in Adam upon his discovery of the Messiah. As he sees his 
day at a distance through types and shadows, he rejoices in it ; but when he 
finds the redemption of man completed, and Paradise again renewed, he here 
oreaks forth in rapture and delight. — A. 

470. Of: Out of. 



BOOK XII. 531 

By me done and occasion'd, or rejoice 475 

Much more, that much more good thereof shall spring, 

To God more glory, more good-will to men 

From God, and over wrath grace shall abound. 

But say : if our Deliv'rer up to Heav'n 

Must reascend, what will betide the few 480 

His faithful, left among th' unfaithful herd, 

The enemies of truth ? Who then shall guide 

His people ? who defend ? Will they not deal 

Worse with his followers than with him they dealt ? 

Be sure they will, said the Angel ; but from Heav'n 485 
He to his own a Comforter will send, 
The promise of the Father, who shall dwell 
His Spirit within them, and the law of faith, 
Working through love, upon their hearts shall write, 
To guide them in all truth, and also arm 490 

With spiritual armour able to resist 
Satan's assaults, and quench his fiery darts ; 
What man can do against them, not afraid, 
Though to the death, against such cruelties 
With inward consolations recompensed, 495 

And oft supported so as shall amaze 
Their proudest persecutors ; for the Spirit 
Pour'd first on his Apostles, whom he sends 
T' evangelize the nations, then on all 

Baptized, shall them with wondrous gifts endue 500 

To speak all tongues, and do all miracles, 
As did their Lord before them. Thus they win 
Great numbers of each nation to receive 
With joy the tidings brought from Heav'n. At length, 
Their ministry perform 'd, and race well run, 505 

Their doctrine and their story written left, 
They die ; but in their room, as they forewarn, 
Wolves shall succeed for teachers, grievous wolves, 
Who all the sacred mysteries of Heav'n 
To their own vile advantages shall turn 510 

487-8. Shall dwell his spirit within them: Shall cause his spirit (disposi- 
tion or temper) to dwell within them; shall make them like Christ, 



532 PARADISE LOST. 

Of lucre and ambition ; and the truth 

With superstitions and traditions taint, 

Left only in those written records pure, 

Though not but by the Spirit understood. 

Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names 511 

Places and titles, and with these to join 

Secular pow'r ; though feigning still to act 

By spiritual, to themselves appropriating 

The Spirit of God, promised alike, and given, 

To all believers ; and from that pretence, 520 

Spiritual laws by carnal power shall force 

On ev'ry conscience ; laws which none shall find 

Left them inroll'd, or what the Spirit within 

Shall on the heart engrave. What will they then 

But force the Spirit of grace itself, and bind 525 

His consort Liberty ? What but unbuild 

His living temples, built by faith to stand, 

Their own faith, not another's ? for on earth 

Who against faith and conscience can be heard 

Infallible ? Yet many will presume : 530 

Whence heavy persecution shall arise 

On all who in the worship persevere 

Of spirit and truth ; the rest, far greater part, 

Will deem in outward rites and specious forms 

Religion satisfy'd. Truths shall retire 535 

Bestuck with sland'rous darts, and works of faith 

Rarely be found. So shall the world go on, 

To good malignant, to bad men benign ; 

Under her own weight groaning till the day 

Appear of respiration to the just 540 

And vengeance to the wicked, at return 

522. Laws which none, Sfc. : Laws neither agreeable to revealed nor natural 
religion ; neither to be found in holy Scripture, nor written on their hearts by 
the Spirit of God, according to that Divine promise, Jer. xxxi. 33. — N. 

526. His consort liberty : " Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," 
2 Cor. iii. 17. 

527. Living temples : Christians are denominated by the Apostle Paul, 
1 temples of the Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; vi. 19. 

532. Of spirit and truth : An allusion to John iv. 23. 



book xii. 533 

Of him so lately promised to thy aid, 

The Woman's Seed, obscurely then foretold ; 

Now amplier known thy Saviour and thy Lord : 

Last in the clouds from Heav'n to be reveal'd 545 

In glory of the Father, to dissolve 

Satan with his perverted world, then raise 

From the conflagrant mass, purged and refined, 

New Heav'ns, new Earth, ages of endless date 

Founded in righteousness, and peace, and love, 550 

To bring forth fruits, joy, and eternal bliss. 

He ended ; and thus Adam last reply'd : 
How soon hath thy prediction, Seer blest, 
Measured this transient world, the race of timo, 
Till time stand fix'd ! Beyond is all abyss, 555 

Eternity, whose end no eye can reach. 
Greatly instructed, I shall hence depart, 
Greatly in peace of thought, and have my fill 
Of knowledge, what this vessel can contain ; 
Beyond which was my folly to aspire. 560 

Henceforth I learn that to obey is best, 
And love with fear the only God ; to walk 
As in his presence ; ever to observe 
His providence, and on him sole depend, 

Merciful over all his works, with good 565 

Still overcoming evil, and by small 
Accomplishing great things ; by things deem'd weak 
Subverting worldly strong, and worldy wise 
By simply meek ; that suffering for truth's sake 
Is fortitude to highest victory, 570 

And to the faithful, death the gate of life : 
Taught this by his example, whom I now 
Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest. 

To whom thus also th' Angel last reply'd : 

546. To dissolve Satan, fyc. : This verb more appropriately applies to world 
than to Satan, and must be taken in a stricter sense in its application to the 
former than to the latter. The expression is derived from 2 Pet. iii. 11, 12, 
" Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved," &c. 

,'574. Last replied : This is the last speech of the angel, as the foregoing 



534 PARADISE LOST. 

This having learn'd, thou hast attain'd the sum 575 

Of wisdom ; hope no higher, though all the stars 

Thou knew'st by name, and all th' ethereal pow'rs, 

All secrets of the deep, all Nature's works, 

Or works of God in Heav'n, air, earth, or sea, 

And all the riches of this world enjoy'dst, 5S0 

And all the rule, one empire : only add 

Deeds to thy knowledge answerable ; add faith, 

Add virtue, patience, temperance ; add love, 

By name to come call'd Charity, the soul 

Of all the rest : then wilt thou not be loath 585 

To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess 

A Paradise within thee happier far. 

Let us descend now therefore from this top 

Of speculation ; for the hour precise 

Exacts our parting hence : and see the guards, 590 

By me encamp'd on yonder hill, expect 

Their motion, at whose front a flaming sword, 

In signal to remove, waves fiercely round. 

We may no longer stay. Go, waken Eve : 

Her also I with gentle dreams have calm'd, 595 

Portending good, and all her spirits composed 

To meek submission. Thou at season fit 

Let her with thee partake what thou hast heard, 

Chiefly what may concern her faith to know, 

The great deliv'rance by her seed to come 600 

(For by the Woman's seed) on all mankind : 

That ye may live, which will be many days, 

Both in one faith unanimous, though sad, 

With cause, for evils past ; yet much more cheer'd 

With meditation on the happy end. 605 

He ended, and they both descend the hill ; 
Descended, Adam to the bower, where Eve 

one is the last speech of Adam ; and they are both introduced in the same 
manner. 

588. Top of speculation : High eminence commanding a most extensive 
prospect. It may further have reference to the visions and predictions there 
offered to Adam. 



book xii. 535 

Lay sleeping, ran before ; but found her waked ; 
And thus with words not sad she him received : 

Whence thou returns't, and whither went'st, I know: 610 
For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise, 
Which he hath sent propitious, some great good 
Presaging, since with sorrow and heart's distress 
Weary'd I fell asleep ; but now lead on ; 

In me is no delay. With thee to go, 615 

Is to stay here ; without thee here to stay, 
Is to go hence unwilling ; thou to me 
Art all things under Heav'n, all places thou, 
Who for my wilful crime art banish'd hence. 
This further consolation yet secure 620 

I carry hence : though all by me is lost, 
(Such favour I unworthy am vouchsafed) 
By me the promised Seed shall all restore. 

So spake our mother Eve ; and Adam heard 
Well pleased, but answer'd not ; for now too nigh 625 

Th' Arch-Angel stood, and from the other hill 

608. Found her wattd : Newton notices an inconsistency with the Argu- 
ment, which relates that Adam wakens Eve ; but may he not have waked 
her by his running to the bower where she lay sleeping. 

609. The poem ends very nobly. The last speeches of Adam and the 
archangel are full of moral and instructive sentiments. The sleep that fell 
upon Eve, and the effects it had in quieting the disorders of her mind, pro- 
duce the same kind of consolation in the reader, who cannot peruse this last 
beautiful speech which is ascribed to the mother of mankind, without a 
secret pleasure and satisfaction. — A. 

611. Advise: Admonish, give information, Numb. xii. 6. Adam had a 
vision, and Eve a dream ; and God was concerned in both. 

616. 7s to stay here, Sfc. : She is now come to that temper of mind in 
which she thinks it Paradise wherever her husband is, as the angel had 
taught her before, XI. 290. So that the author makes woman's Paradise to 
be in company with her husband, but man's to be in himself, 587. — N. 

624-34. Heliodorus, in his ^Ethiopics, acquaints us, that the motion of the 
gods differs from that of mortals, as the former do not stir their feet, nor 
proceed step by step, but slide over the surface of the earth by a uniform 
swimming of the whole body. The same kind of motion is here poetically 
attributed to the angels who were to take possession of Paradise. — A. 



536 PARADISE LOST. 

To their fix'd station, all in bright array 

The cherubim descended ; on the ground 

Gliding meteorous, as evening mist 

Risen from a river o'er the marish glides, 630 

And gathers ground fast at the labourer's heel 

Homeward returning. High in front advanced, 

The brandish'd sword of God before them blazed 

Fierce as a comet ; which with torrid heat, 

And vapour as the Libyan air adust, 635 

Began to parch that temperate clime : whereat 

In either hand the hast'ning Angel caught 

Our ling'ring parents, and to th' eastern gate 

Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast 

To the subjected plain ; then disappear'd. 640 

They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld 

Of Paradise (so late their happy seat) 

Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate 

With dreadful faces throng'd and fiery arms. 

Some natural tears they dropt, but wiped them soon : 645 

The world was all before them where to choose 

Their place of rest, and Providence their guide. 

They, hand in hand, with wand'ring steps and slow, 

630. Marish: Marsh, from the French marais, or the Latin mariscus, 
rushes commonly growing in such a situation. The word occurs in 
1 Maccab. ix. 42, 45; also in Shakspeare, Henry VI. Act. 1. 

635. Adust : Scorched, fiery. 

637-41. An allusion is here made to the incident of Lot and his family 
being conducted by the angel from the doomed Sodom, Gen. xix. 15-26. 

643. Flaming brand: Milton had called it a sword before, XI. 120, u and of 
a sword the flame ;" and XII. 633, and brand here does not signify what we 
commonly mean by it, but a sword, as it is used in the Faery Queen of 

Spenser: "Which steely brand that all other swords excelled;" and 

also in other more recent authors. Brando, in Italian, signifies a sword; so 
called, as Junius thinks, because men fought with burnt stakes and firebrands 
before arms were invented. — N. 

647. Providence their guide: As Michael, who had hitherto conducted 
them by the hand was departed from them, they had no guide to their steps 
but the general guidance of Providence to keep them safe and unhurt. — P. 



537 



Through Eden took their solitary way. 



649. Solitary way : It was solitary, not in regard to any companions whom 
they had met with elsewhere, but because they were here to meet with no 
object of any kind they were acquainted with, XI. 305 — P. Or it was sol- 
itary in reference to the companionship of Michael. 

647—49. It has been objected to these lines, that they end the poem in too 
sorrowful a manner, and that they are inconsistent with other passages in 
this Book, which describe the joy, the peace, and consolation of our first 
parents. But these emotions, as Dr. Pierce remarks, are represented always 
as arising in our first parents from a view of some future good, chiefly of the 
Messiah ; while the thought of leaving Paradise was always a sorrowful 
one to them, 613, 638, 645, 603. 

As to the first-named objection, there is, says Newton, no more necessity 
that an epic poem should conclude happily, than there is that a tragedy 
should conclude unhappily. There are several instances of a tragedy ending 
happily ; and with as good reason, an epic poem may terminate fortunately 
or unfortunately, as the nature of the subject requires ; and the subject of 
Paradise Lost plainly requires something of a sorrowful parting, and was in- 
tended, no doubt, for terror as well as pity — to inspire us with the fear of 
God, as well as with commiseration of man. 

Newton further calls us to observe the beauty of the numbers in these 
concluding lines — the heary dragging of the first line, which cannot be pro- 
nounced but slowly, and with several pauses : 

" They | hand in hand, | with wand'ring steps, | and slow,'' | 
and then the quicker flow of the last line, with only the usual pause in the 
middle. As if our first parents had moved heavily at first, being loath to 
leave their delightful Paradise ; and afterwards mended their pace, when 
they were at a little distance. At least this is the idea which the numbers 
convey. The varying of the pauses, is the life and soul of all versification, 
in all languages. It is this chiefly which makes Virgil's verse better than 
Ovid's, and Milton's superior to that of any other English poet ; and it is for 
want of this chiefly that the French heroic verse can never come up to the 
English. There can be no good poetry without music, and there can be no 
music without variety. 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 

No just heroic poem ever was, or can be made, whence one great moral 
may not be deduced. That which reigns in Milton is the most general and 
most useful that can be imagined. It is, in short, this : that obkdience to 

THE WILL OF God MAKES MEN HAPPY, AND THAT DISOBEDIENCE MAKES 

them miserable. This is obviously the moral of the principal story 
which turns upon Adam and Eve, who continued in Paradise while they 
kept the command that was given them, and were driven out of it as soon 
as they transgressed. This is likewise the moral of the principal episode, 
which shows us how an innumerable multitude of angels fell by their 
disobedience. 

Besides this great moral, which may be regarded as the soul of the story, 
there is an infinity of under-morals, which may be drawn from the several 
parts of the poem, rendering this work more useful and instructive than any 
other poem in any language. — A. 



Throughout the whole poem the author discovers himself to have been a 
most critical reader, and a most passionate admirer, of holy Scripture. He 
is indebted to Scripture infinitely more than to Homer and Virgil, and all 
other books whatever. Not only his principal story, but all his episodes are 
founded on Scripture. The Scripture has not only furnished him with the 
noblest hints, raised his thoughts, and fired his imagination, but has also 
very much enriched his language, given a certain solemnity and majesty to 
his diction, and supplied him with many of his choicest, happiest expres- 
sions. Let men, therefore, learn from this instance to reverence those sacred 
writings. If any man can pretend to deride or despise them, it must be said 
of him at least, that he has a taste and genius the most different from Mil- 
ton's that can be imagined. Whoever has any true taste and genius, we are 
confident, will esteem this poem the best of modern productions, and the 
Scriptures the best of all ancient ones. — N. 



THE LIFE OF MILTON A GREAT EPIC ITSELF. 

Let us glance for a moment at what was even finer than Milton's trans- 
cendent genius — his character. His life was a great epic itself. Byron's 
life was a tragic comedy ; Sheridan's was a brilliant farce ; Shelley's was a 
wild, mad, stormy tragedy ; Keats' life was a sad, brief, beautiful lyric ; 
Moore's has been a love song ; Coleridge's was a " Midsummer Night's 
Dream ;" Schiller's was a harsh, difficult, wailing, but ultimately victorious 
war ode, like one of Pindar's ; Goethe's was a brilliant, somewhat melo- 
dramatic, but finished novel ; Tasso's was an elegy ; but Milton, and Milton 
alone, acted as well as wrote an epic complete in all its parts — high, grave, 
sustained, majestic. His life was a self-denied life. " Susceptible," says 
one, " as Burke, to the attractions of historical prescription, of royalty, of 
chivalry, of an ancient church, installed in cathedrals and illustrated by old 
martyrdoms, he threw himself, the flower of elegance, on the side of the 
reeking conventicle — the side of humanity, unlearned and unadorned." It 
was a life of labour and toil ; labour and toil unrewarded, save by the secret 
sunshine of his own breast, filled with the consciousness of divine approba- 
tion, and hearing from afar the voice of universal future fame. 

It was a life of purity. Even in his youth, and in the countries of the 
south, he seems to have remained unsullied. Although no anchorite, he was 
temperate. Rapid in his meals, he was never weary of the refreshment of 
music ; his favourite instrument, as might have been expected, being the 
organ. It was a life not perfect; there were spots on his fame — acerbities 
of temper, harshness of language, peculiarities of opinion, which proved him 
human, and grappled him with difficulty to earth, like a vast balloon ere it 
takes its flight upward. 

It was the life of a patriot, "faithful found among the faithless, faithful 
only he ;" and Abdiel, that dreadless angel, is just Milton transferred to the 
skies. It was, above all, the life of a Christian ; it was the life of prayer, 
of faith, of meek dependence, of perpetual communing with Heaven. 

Thus faintly have we pictured John Milton. Forgive us, mighty shade ! 
wherever thou art, mingling in whatever choir of adoring spirits, or engaged 



540 PARADISE LOST. 

in whatever exalted ministerial service above, or whether present now 
among those " millions of spiritual creatures that walk the earth ;" — forgive 
us the feebleness, for the sake of the sincerity of the offering, and reject it 
not from that cloud of incense which, with enlarging volume, and deepening 
fragrance, is ascending to thy name, from every country, and in every lan- 
guage ! 

In fine, we tell not our readers to imitate Milton's genius : that may be 
too high a thing for them ; but to imitate his life — the patriotism, the sin- 
cerity, the manliness, the purity, and the piety of his character. When con- 
sidering him, and the other men of his day, we are tempted to say, "There 
were giants in those days," while we have fallen on the days of little men; 
nay, to cry out with her of old, " I saw gods ascending from the earth, and 
one of them is like to an old man, ivhose face is covered with a mantle." In 
those days of rapid and universal change, what need for a spirit so pure, so 
wise, so sincere, and so gifted as his ! and who will not join in the language 
of Wordsworth? 

•' Milton ! thou shouldst be living at this hour. 
England hath need of thee. She is a fen 
Of stagnant waters. We are selfish men. 
O, raise us up ! Return to us again. 



" Thy soul was like a star; and dwelt apart ; 
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free. 
So didst thou travel on life's common way, 
In cheerful godliness ; and yet thy heart 
The lowliest duties on itself did lay." 

GlLFILLAN. 



STRICTURES UPON DR. JOHNSON'S CRITICISM. 

Johnson's criticism, inserted in his " Life of Milton," is so universally 
known, that I shall not repeat it here ; it shows the critic to have been a 
master of language, and of perspicuity, and method of ideas ; it has not. 
however, the sensibility, the grace, and the nice perceptions of Addison : it 
is analytical and dry. As it does not illustrate any of the abstract positions 
by cited instances, it requires a philosophical mind to feel its full force ; it 
has wrapped up the praises, which were popularly expressed by Addison, in 
language adapted to the learned. The truth is, that Johnson's head was 
more the parent of that panegyric than his heart. He speaks by rule ; and 
by rule he is forced to admire. Rules are vain to which the heart does not 
assent. Many of the attractions of Milton's poem are not at all indicated 
by the general words of Johnson. From Addison's critique we can learn 
distinctly its character and colours ; we can be taught how to appreciate ; 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS 541 

and can judge by the examples produced, how far our own sympathies go 
with the commentator. We cannot read, therefore, without being made 
converts, where the comment is right. It is not only in the grand outline 
that Milton's mighty excellence lies : it is in filling up all the parts even to 
the least minutie. The images, the sentiments, the long argumentative 
passages, are all admirable, taken separately ; they form a double force, as 
essential parts of one large and magnificent whole. The images are of two 
sorts, inventive and reflective ; the first are, of course, of the highest order. 

If our conceptions were confined to what reality and experience have im- 
pressed upon us, our minds would be narrow, and our faculties without light. 
The power of inventive imagination approaches to something above hu- 
manity : it makes us participant of other worlds and other states of being. 
Still mere invention is nothing, unless its quality be high and beautiful. 
Shakspeare's invention was in the most eminent degree rich ; but still it was 
mere human invention. The invention of the character of Salan, and of 
the good and bad angels, and of the seats of bliss, and of Pandemonium, and 
of Chaos, and of the gates of Hell, and of Sin and Death, and other super- 
natural agencies, is unquestionably of a far loftier and more astonishing 
order. 

Though the arts of compositions, carried one step beyond the point which 
brings out the thought most clearly and forcibly, do harm rather than good, 
yet up to this point they are of course great aids ; and all these Milton pos- 
sessed in the utmost perfection : all the strength of language, all its turns, 
breaks, and varieties — all its flows and harmonies, and all its learned allu- 
sions, were his. In Pope there is a monotony and technical mellifluence : 
in Milton there is strength with harmony, and simplicity with elevation. 
He is never stilted, never gilded with tinsel, never more cramped than if he 
were writing in prose ; and, while he has all the elevation, he has all the 
freedom of unshackled language. To render metre during a long poem un- 
fatiguing, there must be an infinite diversity of combinations of sound and 
position of words, which no English bard but Milton has reached. John- 
son, assuming that the English heroic line ought to consist of iambrics, has 
tried it by false tests : it admits as many varied feet as the Odes of Horace ; 
and so scanned, all Milton's lines are accented right. 

If we consider the " Paradise Lost" with respect to instruction, it is the 
deepest and the wisest of all the uninspired poems which were ever written ; and 
what poem can do good which does not satisfy the understanding? Of al- 
most all other poems it may be said, that they are intended more for delight 
than instruction ; and instruction in poetry will not do without delight; yet 
when to the highest delight is added the most profound instruction, what 
fame can equal the value of the composition ? Such, unquestionably, is the 
compound merit of the " Paradise Lost." It is a duty imperative on him 
who has an intellect capable of receiving this instruction, not to neglect the 
cultivation of it : in him who understands the English language, the neglect 
to study this poem is the neglect of a positive duty : here is to be found in 
combination what can be learned no where else. 



/ 



7 



542 PARADISE LOST. 

Before such a performance all technical beauties sink to nothing. The 
question is : Are the ideas mighty, and just and authorized 1 and are they 
adequately expressed ? If this is admitted, then ought not every one to read 
this poem next to the Bible ? So thought Bishop Newton. But Johnson 
has the effrontery to assert, that though it may be read as a duty, it can give 
no pleasure ; for this Newton seems to have pronounced by anticipation the 
stigma due to him. Is any intellectual delight equal to that which a high 
and sensitive mind derives from the perusal of innumerable passages in 
every Book of his inimitable work of poetical fiction ? The very story 
never relaxes : it is thick-wove with incident, as well as sentiment, and ar- 
gumentative grandeur. — Sir E. Beydges. 



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